The topped-out 151 North Franklin drops the tower crane

Posted on April 4, 2017 by danieldschell

Those skies on Saturday! You almost don’t notice the tower crane has sunk below the top of 151 North Franklin.

You knew 151 North Franklin had topped out; The John Buck Company told us when they tweeted from the ceremony a month ago. And now comes the next sign that the future CNA Center is getting closer to completion: the tower crane started coming down this past weekend.

Luckily, a tower crane permit was issued yesterday for Eight Eleven Uptown, so things will even out soon. We’ve also got cranes on the way for One Grant Park (planted), 1101 South Wabash, and One South Halsted.

: I hope that’s wind damage, and not someone who thinks they’re good with a brick.

: Ditto

Eight Eleven Uptown driving iron at Montrose and Clarendon (Updated with Tower Crane news)

Posted on April 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Driving piles and breaking rocks at Eight Eleven Uptown.

Eight Eleven Uptown is the new apartment tower from JDL Development coming to the Uptown neighborhood. In the midst of clearing away remnants of the old Cuneo Hospital, foundation work is now underway on the 27-story, 381-unit tower at Montrose and Clarendon Avenues. Stalworth Underground is there as we speak, driving H-piles into the earth, even as American Demolition cleans up.

*** Look what came through Monday! It’s a tower crane permit. That was fast. ***

The tower crane permit, issued Monday April 3.

One Bennett Park adds the second tower crane

Posted on April 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Like the old NBA 3-to-make-2 free throw rule. Two cranes work together to build the third.

It’s an embarrassment of riches at One Bennett Park. Not only is it all blue and yellow and pretty on sunny days, but now it’s got a second tower crane. One Bennett Park joins Vista Tower and the McDonald’s Headquarters in the Two Crane Club. One big difference? McDonald’s and Vista got their two cranes at once; One Bennett Park planted its first tower crane way back in October.

Here are some photos from Saturday afternoon, as the second crane, West Crane, was being erected.

: Your cab awaits.

1101 South Wabash digs deep

Posted on April 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Foundation work, getting down and dirty, at 1101 South Wabash.

There’s a hotel being built at 1101 South Wabash in the South Loop. And besides it being at the corner of Wabash and 11th Street, behind the Best Western Grant Park Hotel, that’s about all I can tell you of it. Sure, the original foundation permit tells us it will a 30-story hotel. But now there’s a revised permit, which calls for a 30-story mixed-use building.

Okay, not huge news. But there’s more; the revised permit now names Skender Construction as the general contractor, where Lendlease held that distinction on the original permit. Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture remains the architect of record.

With the former two-story parking garage a distant memory, the foundation is being dug and shored up. A tower crane permit was issued February 22, so we have that to look forward to.

: The new general contractor, according to the revised foundation permit.

: Lendlease signage remains all over the construction site.

: The Tower Crane permit, issued Feb 22.

Riverline levels continue to rise

Posted on March 28, 2017 by danieldschell

Ancora represents the first phase of the Riverline development in the South Loop.

Progress continues at Ancora, the first phase of the huge Riverline project CMK Companies is building along the Chicago River in the South Loop. The 29-story tower is barely above street level, yet somehow it already appears to be soaring. With the help of Pepper Construction on concrete work, Lendlease has reached the third floor on some parts of the site.

The Perkins+Will design will bring 452 apartments to this first phase of Riverline. Future phases will ultimately bring nine more buildings, 16,500 square feet of retail space, and a new riverwalk to the neighborhood.

Quick look: That’s a wrap on One South Halsted caisson work

Posted on March 28, 2017 by danieldschell

Unless there’s new technology allowing caisson to be dug without rigs, caissons look finished at One South Halsted.

A look after dark down on the One South Halsted site Monday night shows only one caisson rig remaining on site, and a horizontal one at that. The only logical conclusion one could make from this is that caissons are done.

As you may have guessed, I’m willing to skip straight to the tower crane portion of our program, but we’ll have to let Lendlease make that decision. For now, Case Foundation still has some equipment to remove from the lot, like augers and that big yellow rig lying on the ground. Then crews can get busy on the next phase of foundation work.

Landmark West Loop tops out

Posted on March 27, 2017 by danieldschell

A brooding Landmark West Loop from the B.U.C. HQ, through some Monday morning weather.

I must have had my back turned Thursday the 23rd, as the Landmark West Loop, the 30-story, 300-unit apartment tower at 1035 West Van Buren Street from Related Midwest, topped out last week. A press release from Lendlease that popped up on LinkedIn shared the news. A milestone moment for the Landmark to be sure, but also a forewarning that another tower crane will be disappearing from the West Loop landscape soon. Shooting stars, they are.

You can read Lendlease’s press release by clicking here, or see the text that follows a few photos from a sunny February day:

Lendlease & Related Midwest Celebrate the Topping Out of Landmark West Loop (Chicago, IL, March 23, 2017) Today, Lendlease, one of the largest construction management firms in Chicago, and Related Midwest, the pre-eminent developer of luxury condominiums and rental homes in Chicago, celebrated the topping out of Landmark West Loop, a new 30-story residential tower located at 1035 W. Van Buren in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. The event, which included lunch and giveaways for the tradesmen and women, celebrated the structure reaching its maximum height, bringing the project one step closer to completion. “We’re very excited to celebrate the topping out of this highly anticipated project that will truly transform the West Loop,” said Bert Brandt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Lendlease. “I want to acknowledge the combined efforts of Related Midwest, the design team, the union trades and our Lendlease project team for their tireless efforts in helping reach this significant project milestone.” “A quality development begins with a quality team, and our longstanding relationship with Lendlease allowed us to assemble just that — thanks to the dedication of the men and women working on this project, Landmark West Loop is on track for August move-ins,” said Don Biernacki, Senior Vice President of Construction at Related Midwest. “As work on the tower continues, we’ve already started pre-leasing and are thrilled by the response from prospective residents, many of whom have been waiting for this level of luxury rental housing to come to the West Loop and Illinois Medical District.” Located along the Eisenhower Expressway, Landmark West Loop is a 442,845-square-foot building featuring 300 luxury apartments and associated parking. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the building is targeting LEED Silver certification.

Hello, Eight Eleven Uptown: The Montrose – Clarendon project has a new name

Posted on March 26, 2017 by danieldschell

A rendering of Eight Eleven Uptown from Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

With the former Cuneo Hospital now history, the latest project from JDL Development and The Harlem Irving Companies, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, is underway. And according to the JDL website, with the new beginning comes a new name: Eight Eleven Uptown.

The Eight Eleven comes from the apartment tower’s new address, 811 West Agatite Avenue. The Uptown, as you may have guessed, comes from its location in the Uptown neighborhood. The 27-story tower will include 381 apartments and nearly 30,000 square feet of retail space.

Stalworth Underground is on-site currently, driving H-piles into the ground; Lendlease is the general contractor.

The foundation permit for Eight Eleven Uptown was issued February 17.

Demolition of the Cuneo Hospital complex back in January.

One South Halsted caissons are closer to being done than I thought

Posted on March 25, 2017 by danieldschell

Working in the dark – and the rain – to take down a caisson rig at One South Halsted.

Yesterday’s post about caisson work at One South Halsted served to inform you that Case Foundation was still drilling big holes into the ground and filling them with concrete. Well, I can confidently update you that whatever work remains can be done by a solo rig.

Friday-night lights on-site illuminated crews disassembling one of the caisson rigs, so unless another project is in desperate need, caisson work must be nearing completion.

I didn’t dream it; Saturday morning shed some light on the rig removal.

Digging Case Foundation’s One South Halsted digging

Posted on March 24, 2017 by danieldschell

Once you start pouring concrete into a caisson, you have to finish. Sometimes One South Halsted stays active into the evening hours.

Case Foundation is still on the case at One South Halsted, and it’s because caissons don’t dig themselves. As you may recall, One South Halsted went from permit to really busy in about two heartbeats, and work hasn’t let up since. The official caisson count from the B.U.C. HQ vantage point is “bunches and bunches,” with the assumption that they’ll be wrapped up very soon. Then, Lendlease can take over the vertical portion of the 46-story apartment tower by FitzGerald Associates Architects.

Co-developers Fifield Companies and F&F Realty are bringing 492 rental units to the Greektown section of the West Loop. Situated alongside the Kennedy Expressway, the curvy, highly visible tower will be fully loaded with amenities that it will share with the Crowne Plaza hotel next door. Which is only fair, considering One South Halsted commandeered Crowne’s parking lot for its own site.