Renelle on the River is topped out and ready for glass

Renelle on the River went up in a hurry. Now, the concrete is topped out, and without any glazing yet, it looks kinda skeleton-like. But that will change soon, as McHugh Construction focuses on getting the outer skin installed and interior work begins. (Then again, maybe that’s what they’re calling an “open floor plan” these days. No windows, no cladding, just you and the elements and your living room.)  The bKl Architecture design brings 50 new condos to the River North neighborhood across 18 stories.

One Grant Park continues to spring upwards as April arrives

One Grant Park April 2018

One Grant Park rises above the trees at the south end of–you guessed it–Grant Park.

You know lots about One Grant Park by now, right? 76 stories, 792 apartments, and not even the biggest tower McHugh Construction is working on in Chicago right now. No respect, I’m tellin’ ya.

Let’s just cut right to some progress photos then.

It’s a Glaze of Glory as Vista Tower raises the curtain wall

Vista Tower glass April 2018

Good glazes!! That’s glass on Vista Tower!

You’ve waited a long time for this. We all have. And now, it’s happening.

Vista Tower has glass.

Not lots of glass. Not big sheets of glass. Just little bits of glass. Almost slivers of it. But it’s still glass. Windows. Cladding. Curtain wall. Whatever you want to call it, it’s here. And it’s glorious to think how this tower will look once it’s entirely glazed.

I thought you might like to see it, so I took some photos.

One Grant Park continues its climb into the South Loop heights

One Grant Park February 2018

One Grant Park pushes upward into Thursday’s fog.

That headline isn’t meant to be a play on developer Crescent Heights’ name; it is only to say that One Grant Park is going to be really tall.

We’re still awaiting the arrival of the first pieces of curtain wall to the exterior of the Rafael Viñoly Architects creation at 1200 South Indiana, McHugh Construction keeps stacking floors on top of each other, on their way to 76 levels in total. We’ve captured photographic evidence, naturally.

 

A look at progress on Renelle on the River

You don’t need to me to tell you about the progress McHugh Construction is making with Renelle on the River; just tune in to the bKL Architecture Twitter feed at this link right here.

Of course, I took a few shots, from ground level, too; you can see them now.

61 East Banks puts up Chicago’s newest tower crane

61 East Banks tower crane

This shiny new tower crane recently debuted above 61 East Banks in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

There’s been a lot of activity out at 61 East Banks since we went by the site in December. Caisson work is a distant memory, and Chicago’s newest tower crane looms above the future 8-story, 60-unit apartment development. Pretty sure this is Chicago’s 33rd tower crane of 2018 (remember, we started the year with 30 already in the sky.)

61 East Banks is a project from Draper & Kramer, with designs from Booth Hansen. Leopardo Companies (sure, you know them. They’re building their new offices over at 210 North Carpenter) is the general contractor. You may notice McHugh Construction signage on the tower crane; that’s because McHugh is the concrete subcontractor, and therefore responsible for assembly of the crane.

It’s been far too long since we’ve dropped in on Vista Tower

Vista Tower February 2018

Vista Tower continues to rise along the Chicago River.

We’re long overdue for a few shots of the progress McHugh Construction is making at Vista Tower. This thing has grown like mad since our last visit. Sorry to have missed so much. Without further ado, here are the latest shots from the soon-to-be 94-story hotel-and-residential combination.

And don’t miss out on the newly-updated Earthcam shots from Lake Point Tower. You’ll want to check it out at night, for sure.

A December update at Vista Tower

Wanda Vista Tower at night

Night time is the right time to see Vista Tower.

This thing is gonna be HUGE.

Vista Tower continues its climb along East Wacker Drive and the Chicago River. And the more it grows, the more it’s visible from new vantage points. For instance, you can now stand on the Chicago Riverwalk and look straight up and see construction. It may be a little too cold to stand there for long, though.

With all three Hiltons topped out, the tower crane comes down at 123 East Cermak

Triple-branded Hilton tower crane removal

A tower crane below the roof line is doomed. Such is the circle of life at the triple-branded Hilton Hotels at McCormick Place.

All by its lonesome, McHugh Construction’s shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane built a Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick CenterHampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop. And now, that crane’s work is complete, and it’s on the way to the ground.

We walked around the site at 123 East Cermak Road to pay our last respects as the crane started coming down. But fear not; Chicago’s construction boom has slowed just yet, so expect that same crane to be back on the build again very soon.

Getting to know Chicago Tower Crane #60

Renelle on the River

McHugh Construction’s tower crane at Renelle on the River, from East Upper Wacker Drive.

We’d only gone by the new tower crane at Renelle on the River once since McHugh Construction erected it back in the second week of November. It famously became Chicago’s 60th tower crane in the air for this calendar year. The Mayor was there. It was a big deal. It was also dark, so I didn’t get a great look at it

Of course, Tuesday was kind of a dud as far as weather goes, but that didn’t stop us from getting a few more angles on the shiny yellow Liebherr 200 HC model. Aside from standing in the plaza just outside Trump Tower, where you can look straight up at the beast, we suggest East Wacker Drive and the Michigan Avenue Bridge as the best crane-gawking spots.