Still no tower crane, but 171 Aberdeen making foundation progress

Posted on September 8, 2016 by danieldschell

It is, admittedly, a cool yellow crane. But it is no tower crane.

Patience is a virtue. But Saturday will mark the four-month mark since a tower crane permit was filed for 171 Aberdeen, the mixed-use project from MCZ Development now underway in the West Loop. Not that foundation work isn’t fun to watch too, but nothing beats a tower crane. Nothing.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space, plus about 130 parking spots. Novak Construction is doing the dirty work.

The Tower Crane Permit.
MAY 10!

Construction Update: 171 Aberdeen builds a foundation

Posted on August 10, 2016 by danieldschell

The non-tower crane (for now) at 171 Aberdeen casts a long shadow as morning work gets underway.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen is having some foundation work done courtesy of Novak Construction, even without the benefit (yet) of the almighty tower crane. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

: A render of 171 Aberdeen from MCZ Development.

: And my attempt to recreate that rendering. Without the unbuilt building, obviously.

: July’s caisson work, from the L.

: This is how you mark a photo so you don’t forget where you took it.

171 North Aberdeen Begins Foundation Work Under Clueless Blogger’s Nose

Posted on July 12, 2016 by danieldschell

The foundation permit, issued June 6th, I didn’t know existed. My bad.

I tried to pay attention to this one. Honest I did.

I told you over a month ago caisson equipment was standing at the ready at 171 North Aberdeen Street in the West Loop, eager to tear into the soil of the empty lot. But Novak Construction, the general contractor for the project, couldn’t. Not yet. That was June 10th, and the City of Chicago had yet to file a foundation permit.

WRONG.

In fact, that permit had been filed on June 6th. But, as sometimes happens in the data entry process, a key line had been left blank on the city’s permit site: no permit date. So when I was looking at the most recent permits for Aberdeen Street, I should have been scrolling all the way to the end, where permits without dates fall.

So as I wandered by the site Tuesday, I was merely checking to see if equipment was still there. And not only was it there, it was drilling holes into the earth. Knowing nobody in Chicago work start work without the proper permits being in place, I walked the perimeter until I found what I needed to see. Namely, the site bulletin board. And on it, the permit approving foundation work. And all is right with the world.

That permit means the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 North Aberdeen is about to be a real thing. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

: MCZ rendering of 171 North Aberdeen.

: 171 North Aberdeen. You can find it by looking for the water tank and chimney.

: Revcon Construction going to town on the caissons. Good thing they weren’t waiting for my okay, eh?

: You don’t need bloggers. You can learn all you need to know about 171 North Aberdeen by reading the fence.

: Foundation work at 171 North Aberdeen. Hopefully I won’t miss the tower crane going in.

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.

Foundation Equipment Standing By at 171 Aberdeen

Posted on June 10, 2016 by danieldschell

I don’t know how much it costs per day to have one of those pretty yellow Hayward Baker machines in your lot, in this case the lot being 171 North Aberdeen Street, but I’m guessing Novak Construction would like to put it to good use sooner rather than later.

The latest project from MCZ Development and designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 171 Aberdeen promises 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, and up to 140 parking spots at the corner of Lake and Aberdeen Streets in the molten-lava-hot Fulton Market neighborhood.

Curiously, there’s a permit on file with the City of Chicago. But it’s a foundation permit for a tower crane. That seems a tad cart-before-horse-ish to me, but it’s happened before. Novak Construction, the general contractor on 171 Aberdeen, will get to work as soon as the city says “go.”

Here’s the tower crane permit, displayed at the 171 Aberdeen work site.

And here’s a rendering from MCZ Development of the finished 171 Aberdeen.

All that prime tagging canvas will be gone once 171 Aberdeen construction gets rolling.

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