Climbing Crane Watch: 151 North Franklin

Posted on July 26, 2016 by danieldschell

In honor of last week’s double permit festivities — one for the full build, one for the climbing tower crane — I took a quick walk past the new CNA Center at 151 North Franklin again today. Twice, actually. Once in the morning, once on the way back home. Alas, they haven’t set up that pseudo-tower crane thingamobob yet, but they do have some stellar steel work protruding from the ground at the south end of the site. So, rather than waste the trip(s), here are a few pictures:

: Morning walk-by, as the street crane lifted steel into place along Randolph Street.

: By the evening walk home, they had added to it.

: The CNA Center is rising up from its foundation.

: That excavator is at an awkward angle. Tight spaces call for drastic measures.

: Full Build Permit.

: The climbing tower crane permit.

Construction Update: 3Eleven Caisson Work

Posted on July 25, 2016 by danieldschell

Revcon has caisson work well underway at 3Eleven.

Sit back while I tell you everything I know about the goings-on in the 300 block of West Illinois Street in River North.

At 311 West Illinois Street, the John Buck Company is putting up 3Eleven, a 25-story apartment tower, in what used to be the parking lot of Assumption Catholic Church. The FitzGerald Associates Architects-designed building will boast 245 “luxury” rentals, 3,000 square feet of retail, and 109 parking spaces, some of which will be set aside for the exclusive use of the church. Power Construction is on the build, and Revcon Construction is revving up the caissons as we speak.

Separately, on the other side of the church, a one-story addition is being added to the priory building. That is a project designed by McBride Kelley Baurer Architects, with Norcon, Inc. of Chicago handling the general contractor duties. I’d show you photos of that work, but there isn’t much to see. The action is all at the east end of the block.

: Up close and personal with the caisson rig.

: An actual caisson in the wild. Though it’s fenced in.

: The roof of the priory.

: Assumption Catholic Church in the background.

: The Foundation Permit.

: Since we’re here, a couple details of Assumption Catholic Church.

Quick Look: 151 North Franklin Gets a Non-Tower Crane Tower Crane Permit

Posted on July 24, 2016 by danieldschell

The permit for the kinda-sorta tower crane at the CNA Center, 151 North Franklin Street.

On Thursday, I passed along the heartbreaking news that the new CNA Center, the 35-story office tower being built at 151 North Franklin Street in The Loop, wouldn’t have a regular tower crane, but instead would utilize a crane attached to the structure itself. Well, that apparatus still requires a permit from the City of Chicago, and it was filed on Friday.

Phase 1 Temporary construction of World Free Standing Tower Crane Model Potain MR608

World Free? Wasn’t he an NBA player?

Interesting factoid: The standard tower crane permit shows an estimated cost of $60,000. This pseudo-tower crane permit goes for just $30,000. So they’re saving half from the get-go. Let’s just hope it’s cool to watch.

Tower Crane Update: There Won’t Be One at 151 North Franklin

Posted on July 21, 2016 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/753781369000656896

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/753752507982151684

You can imagine my distress. Just hours after penning a post about the number of permitted tower cranes that had yet to be planted around Chicago, I wandered past 151 North Franklin and couldn’t believe I had left it out. I got home and leafed through the permits, and lo and behold…there wasn’t one.

How could that be? The CNA Center is going to be 35 stories high! How can that be accomplished without a tower crane?

The answer? A clip-on. Like the neckties we wore as kids. Sort of. I’m told by folks at Lendlease, the general contractor for this Loop office tower, that the crane to be used will attach to the building itself, and move higher with the tower as construction progresses. Which sounds cool enough to be an adequate substitute for the real thing.

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/753968058515927045

Twitter. It’s how I keep myself amused.

In the meantime, Lendlease is doing all kinds of cool stuff at 151 North Franklin Street. As you’ll see by scrolling through the following photo gallery:

: Massive steel beams went up on Saturday.

: This was Saturday, as Lendlease erected these two beams.

: The ground crane in the back corner will suffice until the clip-on comes along.

: Break time.

The Tower Crane Pipeline Still Runneth Over [Updated]

Posted on July 12, 2016 by danieldschell

Last week, I got pretty excited (okay, way excited — overstimulated even) about the three tower crane stubs being set in the ground around Chicago. One was for the DePaul School of Music, one for the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ meetinghouse at 822 North Clark Street, and the third at 8 East Huron Street in River North. But lest you think that puts a wrap on what to watch for, think again.

We still have half a dozen projects out there with tower crane permits itching to climb into the sky. They are:

Atrium Village

Atrium Village received a tower crane permit last week to erect a 31-story apartment building.

Atrium Village, which I also posted about last week, will rise soon in the Near North. The 31-story rental tower, which is Phase One of the multi-phase project by Onni Group to rebuild the entire Atrium Village development, got its tower crane permit July 5th.

625 West Adams

625 West Adams is a busy lot again this morning, following a slow weekend after wrapping up caisson work.

625 West Adams in the West Loop got its tower crane permit on June 28th. The 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners is happening right outside the buildingupchicago office.

165 North Desplaines

Caisson work is ongoing at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop.

Also in the West Loop, Gerding Edlen’s 165 North Desplaines continues caisson work, while waiting to install its tower crane. The permit was filed on June 28th, the same day as 625 West Adams. Two brand-spankin’ new tower cranes four blocks apart. Nice. 165 North Desplaines will be a 14-story apartment building with 199 units.

3Eleven

3Eleven still looks like that movie “Holes”

In the early stages of construction, 3Eleven still looks like just a random series of holes. Soon, it will be a 23-story apartment tower from the John Buck Company at 311 West Illinois Street in River North, in what, up until a couple weeks ago, was the parking lot for Assumption Roman Catholic Church.

Apple Store

The new Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue, both upper and lower.

Does Chicago need a new Apple Store? Or just an Apple Store with more space for people to camp out overnight for each new iPhone? Well, Chicago is getting both. At 401 North Michigan Avenue, in Pioneer Court. And it’s getting a tower crane as well, permitted on May 23rd.

171 North Aberdeen

171 North Aberdeen in the West Loop.

The West Loop is a busy place. But you knew that. 171 North Aberdeen is another project in the early stages. They’ve done some scraping, but it may be a while yet until it gets the tower crane it was permitted to have back on May 10th. 171 North Aberdeen, from MCZ Development, will be a mid-rise, mixed-use building combining luxury apartments, retail space, office space, and parking.

[Curiously, the tower permit is the only permit on file so far. No foundation permit has been issued as yet.]

That sentence from the original story is completely, thoroughly wrong. 171 North Aberdeen received a foundation permit on June 6th. I missed it. Sorry for my mistake.

A Deeper Look at 151 North Franklin Foundation Work

Posted on June 27, 2016 by danieldschell

Foundation work is on and ongoing at 151 North Franklin.

It looks like the digging is done dug at 151 North Franklin, The Loop’s latest 35-story office tower from The John Buck Company. Gone are the backhoes and front loaders, replaced by rebar. Lots and lots of rebar.

As a reminder, those are Lendlease crews you see gettin’ stuff done at the future CNA Center, a John Ronan Architects design.

: The pool looks almost done.

: I should have gone into rebar sales.

: Pumping in cement.

: It was all hands on cement Saturday. There were eight cement mixers on site.

: Along the watchtower.

: Peeks can be sneaked from ground level.

: It gives a much better perspective of how deep the foundation is.

: The Mayor was pleased to see me at the groundbreaking ceremony in April.

: A well-earned break.

: Someday soon (fingers crossed) this will be a tower crane.

: There may still be a tiny bit of digging left to do.

: A field of rebar.

: “I don’t think this is supposed to be—oh wait, there it is. Okay, we’re good!”

: 215 West Lake rises in the background.

3Eleven Takes a Giant Baby Step Towards Beginning Construction

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

Once, there was this garage at 311 West Illinois Street.

3Eleven, the new residential tower at an old church from The John Buck Company, has taken a big first step towards getting started on construction of its priory addition and 23-story building, even if that step involves only a little structure.

Gone from the property at 311 West Illinois Street in River North is the garage/equipment shed that once occupied the southwest corner of the surface parking lot.

Now, there is no garage. There is a slab, but no garage.

In its place will be a 23-story tower, containing 245 apartments, 109 parking spaces, and ground-level retail. On the west side of the church you see above, Assumption Roman Catholic Church, the two-story priory building will have a third level added as part of the development. Two architecture firms split duties on this one. FitzGerald Associates (West Loop represent!) handled the design of the tower, while McBride Kelley Baurer Architects handles the priory addition. (It is that firm’s John Kelley whose name appears on the renovation permit.)

The first permit was filed with the City of Chicago on June 2, allowing for the addition to the priory. That’s all well and good, but I’m watching this lot from the Brown Line nearly every day, knowing a tower crane will soon sprout. Stay tuned.

Here’s the priory I mentioned earlier.

Now, picture it with a third story added.

The main sanctuary structure of Assumption Roman Catholic Church will remain as it is.

Oh, and here’s the parking lot and garage, from a somewhat dizzying perspective.

Here you go, permit fans.

151 North Franklin Goes Deep

Posted on June 6, 2016 by danieldschell

Crews shored up the pilings around the perimeter, then started digging. And digging.

It’s a bad time to grab a quiet lunch in The Loop. And it will be for quite some time, save weekends. Particularly in that cute little pop-up park on the northwest corner of Franklin and Randolph streets. Unless, of course, eating dust is on your menu. In that case, consider those dump trucks going in and out of 151 North Franklin your personal food trucks.

151 North Franklin is a 35-story, John Ronan Architects-designed office tower being developed by The John Buck Company. Lendlease is the general contractor.

Maybe you miss the Walgreen’s store that occupied this space; I do not. Come on, the best prescription for this lot was new construction. Admit it.

Digging under the shore line. Sort of.

Don’t mind me, Lendlease. Just grabbing a few shots, then I’ll be on my way.

That’s 215 West Lake rising in the background. This is a busy corner of The Loop.

From the 151 North Franklin website, a rendering of the finished tower.

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