Return to New York City: Central Park Tower

Posted on January 10, 2017 by danieldschell

Central Park Tower, left, and 220 Central Park South, right, face off on a chilly October night.

You remember the post from last month about 220 Central Park South right? Well, you may have noticed another skyscraper rising adjacent to that tower. That “other” development will only be New York City’s tallest residential tower, at over 1,500 feet, when completed in 2019.

Meet Central Park Tower. At its official address of 217 West 57th Street, Central Park Tower will stand back-to-back with 220 Central Park South, in essence sharing 58th Street as a high-profile alley. A project of Extell Development Company, the 131-story monster was designed by Chicago’s own Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Archecture, and will include a 7-level Nordstrom flagship store. Lendlease has the tall task of general contractor on this one.

Want to know more about Central Park Tower? (Yes, you do. You have to!) Please check out these sights, in addition to the links above:

New York YIMBY

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)

: Rendering of Central Park Tower by Extell Development Company.

: That’s One57 in the background, another Extell development.

Construction Progress: 1136 South Wabash aims to go vertical

Posted on January 9, 2017 by danieldschell

Time is running out to see Flyboy, as 1136 South Wabash gets off the ground in the South Loop.

Caissons are done, the tower crane is in place, and 1136 South Wabash is looking more like a 3-dimensional construction site these days. CA Ventures’ 26-story residential tower will bring 320 apartments to the South Loop, with retail on the first floor, and 143 parking spaces. SCB did the design; Lendlease is on the build.

1411 South Michigan gets in on the tower crane fun

Posted on January 6, 2017 by danieldschell

I see you over there.

What is it, Spring already?

Tower crane seedlings are sprouting all over Chicago, proving there’s no season like Construction Season. You may have read a thing or two about the pair of cranes being erected at Vista Tower, but those aren’t the only ones in town. 1411 South Michigan planted its own tower crane stub Thursday in the South Loop, marking the next big step in the development process for Russland Capital Group’s 15-story, 199-apartment tower. Lendlease is on the build, responsible for getting the design from Boarman Kroos Vogel Group completed in time for opening late this year.

More from One Bennett Park, Streeterville’s future skyscraper

Posted on December 30, 2016 by danieldschell

One Bennett Park is on its way to 69 stories in Streeterville.

It’s barely been more than 2 weeks since the last update on One Bennett Park in this blog space, but skyscraper warrant extra attention while they’re still low enough to the ground to see. Plus, One Bennett Park has changes a lot in the past 14 days or so. Not only is the core growing, but there’s more ground work being done as well. And iron work. And there are lots of pretty colors.

Oh shoot, don’t take my word for it. Take my pictures instead. And take these friendly reminders about One Bennett Park as well:

Developer: Related Midwest

Architects: Robert A.M. Stern (with a hand from GREC Architects)

General Contractor: Lendlease

Address: 451 East Grand Avenue

69 stories, 280 apartments, 70 condominiums

Completion in 2019

: Hi there.

Parking garage turned empty lot in South Loop is getting a hotel

Posted on December 27, 2016 by danieldschell

I don’t know what this steel-and-wood sculpture, in the lot at 1101 South Wabash, is called. But I like it.

At 1101 South Wabash Avenue, directly behind the Best Western Grant Park Hotel in the South Loop, the City of Chicago has filed a permit to begin construction of a 30-story hotel. According to the permit, this will be a design by Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture. And according to the Chicago Plan Commission agenda for November of this year, the hotel will have 281 rooms and 57 parking spaces.

The two-story parking garage on the site got its demolition permit in January of this year, and by the middle of February, it had been reduced to an empty lot.

Currently, there are a couple of cool abstract pieces of iron artwork on site, but I can’t say for sure those are permanent. Lendlease is the general contractor on the hotel project; we’ll let them decide what stays and what goes.

: The Demolition Permit.

: The Foundation Permit.

: Lendlease is ready to take over the site.

: The seamy underbelly of the parking garage, just after demolition had begun back in January.

: And wrapping up demo in February.

Construction Update: 151 North Franklin

Posted on December 16, 2016 by danieldschell

The tower crane that isn’t a tower crane at 151 North Franklin still soars high above Randolph Street.

I missed the memo that said 151 North Franklin would be growing like a weed in spring, despite Chicago heading into winter. On the lot that only yesterday still seemed to anchor that worn-out old Walgreen’s store, the future CNA Center already appears to be about 18 stories into the sky. You can credit Lendlease for that miracle growth, for even in Thursday’s inhuman temperatures, there was still a construction crew on site. That’s not just a core shooting up through the center of The John Buck Company’s 820,000-square-foot office tower, that’s hard-core.

Here are a few shots on 151 North Franklin, which has outgrown all the adjacent parking garages, and their prime vantage points.

: Lendlease. Still Flying The W!

: last time we stopped by here, there were tower crane pieces awaiting assembly.

1411 South Michigan starts driving piles into the South Loop

Posted on December 14, 2016 by danieldschell

Those are H-piles that have been driven into the ground at 1411 South Michigan.

If you’re within a 4-to-6-block radius of 1411 South Michigan Avenue in the South Loop, then you’re fully aware that piles are being driven into the ground as work has begun on Russland Capital Group’s 15-story apartment tower. That’s where we’ll see 199 new units, along with 40,000 square feet of commercial space, opening late in 2017. The ever-busy Lendlease is the general contractor for the Boarman Kroos Vogel Group-designed project.

: The foundation permit, filed October 24.

: The former home of the Chicago Department of Children and Family Services, demolished to make way for the new apartments.

Construction Update: One Bennett Park

Posted on December 13, 2016 by danieldschell

One Bennett Park, rising above the streets of Streeterville.

The tower crane is up, so there’s no stopping One Bennett Park now. All Lendlease crews need to do now it use it to stack 69 stories on top of each other, and the Robert A.M. Stern-designed (I’m infatuated with the project they designed for 220 Central Park South, remember?) tower will be ready for move-in. Seems pretty simple, right?

Photo Gallery: The War On Wells, late-night edition

Posted on December 8, 2016 by danieldschell

It’s 640 North Wells vs The Gallery On Wells. may the prettiest under-construction tower win.

Return to New York City: 220 Central Park South

Posted on December 8, 2016 by danieldschell

Looking straight up at 220 Central Park South from West 58th Street.

No, I didn’t really return to New York City. That would be wishful thinking. I merely sorted through a few more photos that I actually managed to label properly, in order to put together a gallery focused on the new condo tower at 220 Central Park South in Midtown Manhattan.

Developer Vornado Realty Trust is building 116 units or so in two parts: One, an 18-story “villa” that fronts 59th Street, and a 79-story tower that unofficially fronts the north side of 58th Street. 220 Central Park South is a design by New York’s Robert A.M. Stern Architects, currently known around these parts for designing One Bennett Park in Streeterville.

Lendlease, also busy all over Chicago, is the general contractor.