What’s that old saying I just made up a couple weeks ago? Oh yeah, I remember:
Tower cranes should be cherished. Two tower cranes should be cherished and celebrated. Three tower cranes should be cherished, celebrated, and should get their own post.
It’s true at One Chicago Square just as it’s true at Cirrus & Cascade in Lakeshore East. What’s more, these are three shiny yellow Liebherr cranes. My favorite cranes (that aren’t lit up.)
This is their own post.
727 West Madison takes me back. There was a time, at this blog’s busiest, that I spent many many hours staring out over the West Loop. Not only was I checking up on the explosion of development, but I wasted an awful lot of time watching traffic zoom (or crawl) by on the Kennedy, Ryan, and Eisenhower Expressways. Not to mention the ongoing revamp (no pun intended) of the Jane Byrne Interchange.
I watched from above as the Crowne Plaza parking lot was fenced off and torn up, and construction commenced on 727. I would move from the neighborhood before it leveled up too high, but it was amazing to watch the start from that vantage point.
727 West Madison is the first tower I think about if a return to the West Loop makes sense. Skyline views? Check. Traffic views? Yup. Sweeping views of the booming West Loop and Fulton Market development? Serious check.
FitzGerald is the design architect of 727 West Madison. Fifield Companies and F&F Realty are the developers. Lendlease did the dirty work. Have a look. It’s shiny, curvy, and perfectly located.
P.S. I still think One South Halsted was a better name, but I wasn’t consulted. I’m over it.
Photos follow of 727 West Madison in its completed stage, and in its infancy, as One South Halsted, taken from the original B.U.C. HQ high above the West Loop. (Oh how I miss it)
Imprint rises at 717 South Clark St in the South Loop.
This is my first edition dedicated to Imprint. The name Imprint is a novel idea, an homage to the history of the South Loop’s Printers Row neighborhood. You should book a tour; nothing is binding until you sign a lease. I tried to talk to one of the workers on site, but the wind was too strong, creating a rough draft that had chapter lips. She wasn’t able to page someone else, despite my attempt to press.
That’s it; I don’t have any more printing puns. <HITS PUBLISH>
Imprint will be a 30-story, 349-unit rental tower. A three-story, 55,000-sq-ft former office building at 719 South Clark is being renovated and integrated as amenity space for the new residents.
CMK Companies, responsible for a lot of what’s being built in the South Loop, is the developer. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is the design architect, and Lendlease is on the build. They’re all working toward a Spring 2020 opening.
Those of us without a helicopter, drone, or a really, really long selfie stick are running out of time before construction on Cirrus Condominiums and Cascade Apartments reaches above the elevated street levels of Harbor and Waterside Drives in Lakeshore East.
For that reason, I give you a whole slew of (somewhat) overhead shots, taken January 19, looking down on Lendlease’s continuing progress on the two bKl Architecture-designed residential towers.
This building though.
If memory serves correctly, this is the first construction site I’ve covered for Thor Equities. But they must have gotten word that I’d be around, because 800 Fulton is really tough to get a good look at so far. Could be I’m just paranoid, but the fences seem too high, the foundation too deep, and heck, they’ve even gotten the weather to conspire against me with gloomy, overcast days.
Well, January brought some sunshine, so I’ve done the best I can. 800 Fulton is a 19-story office building designed by SOM. If this thing turns out the way renderings look, it will be nothing short of a spectacular addition to the still-booming Fulton Market area of the West Loop. Seriously, this one’s fantastic. This one occupies a full Fulton block, bounded by Fulton Market, Green Street, Wayman Street, and Halsted Street. It’s between the Fulton Market District sign and what used to be The Mid nightclub, if that helps you get oriented.
When an office building looks like a place you’d want to live, that’s a good sign. Living there would be a great idea anyway. You won’t want to drive to work at 800 Fulton. There will only be parking for 34 cars. There will, however, be 150 bicycle-parking spots. And we all need the exercise.
Expect me to move into 800 Fulton in 2021.
A tower crane permit was issued November 22nd by the City of Chicago for 151 West Illinois Street in River North. Guess what? There’s no tower crane at 151 West Illinois Street in River North. Nor is there one in the 400 block of North LaSalle. But that might change very soon.
Workers from Pepper Construction have been at this intersection the past couple days, getting the lot ready for what could be a new office building. Is it this one Curbed Chicago posted about back in February of last year? The one The Real Deal posted about in March? The one the Chicago Architecture Blog posted about in April? Cuz darned if I can find anything on my own. I can tell you that crane permit names Midwest Property Group as the developer, and Lendlease as the general contractor. And it looks like Pepper is the concrete contractor, so that would help explain their people and vehicle on site this week.
Here’s a dropbox presentation from Alderman Reilly’s office, shared in March of last year. Sure looks like a go to me.
I say, let’s go with the four above-named sources, and assume there’s an office building about to get started at LaSalle & Illinois in River North. Consider this my expressed written consent to start site prep. (In other words, tear up that parking lot.)
3 gloomy tower cranes are still 3 tower cranes!
Another gloomy weather day in Chicago, perfect for taking pictures with lousy cameras. I had to be downtown Monday, so I took a few detours, one of which was the three-crane wonder that is Cirrus Chicago construction. And Cascade Chicago construction. Honestly, I don’t know which is which over here, and I think there’s gonna be a third tower at some point too. What I do know is, this is one of two Chicago construction sites featuring 3 tower cranes, the other being One Chicago Square in River North.
I snapped off a bunch of iPhone pics, if you want to see them. I won’t win any awards for these, but at least now you can see what the early stages of construction look like over here, without having to make the trip to Lakeshore East.
A few particulars:
Lendlease is the general contractor here, as well as co-developer with Magellan Development. (Side note: “IJKL LLC” sounds like something that would be chanted at a college football game. I’m getting a t-shirt made.) They’re getting help with the concrete from McHugh Construction. bKL Architecture is the design architect.
845 West Madison
845 West Madison
A patriotic ending to Lendlease’s tower crane at 727 West Madison in the West Loop.
Southbank Park is claiming some of the Chicago River.
The Cooper at Southbank is fast approaching its Fall 2018 opening. Last week we told you about the new name for the apartment tower in Lendlease’s also-newly-named Southbank development. We took another walk around the site Wednesday to see the tower, as well as continued work on the grounds that will become Southbank Park.
Building Up Chicago 