Life is a glass at 465 North Park

465 North Park

465 North Park rises up in Streeterville.

465 North Park, the 48-story, 444-unit apartment tower from Jupiter Realty Company, continues to grow at East Illinois Street and North Park Drive in Streeterville. Power Construction has been working on the Pappageorge Haymes-designed tower since July of last year.

Work has climbed as high as seven stories now, but that’s not the best feature. That distinction belongs to a few windows lined up along the west facing. Unusual this early on in construction? Maybe. Am I complaining? Nope.

Chicago’s new Apple Store is taking the glass box to 2 whole new levels

What says “glass box” better than an actual glass box? That’s pretty much what Power Construction is building in Pioneer Court these days. And while some use the “glass box” description as criticism, the new Apple Store at 401 North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile sure is making it work.

Looking down on 625 West Adams progress

625 West Adams

Nope, that’s not a misplaced beam. The angle will help form the 11th-floor terrace at 625 West Adams.

625 West Adams terrace render

You get a good look at the 11th-floor terrace in this rendering from the 625 West Adams website.

Maybe it won’t be called the 13th floor, depending on the superstitions of those in charge of such decisions, but 625 West Adams is up to the 13th floor these days. Along with all the iron beams and metal flooring being added to the 20-story office tower, the 11th-floor terrace is taking shape, what with its angled beam overhead. The word from Power Construction is to watch for another terrace at the 19th floor.

By best guestimate, the core looks to be stuck at about the 17th floor, but that will be rising soon as well. Co-developers CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners plan on having 625 West Adams open for tenants to start moving in their fax machines and dot-matrix printers and setting up shop in March 2018.

Sterling Bay’s C.H. Robinson HQ taking shape at 1515 West Webster

1515 West Webster C.H. Robinson

At left, 1515 West Webster. In the foreground, the Chicago River. In the background, that magnificent Chicago Skyline.

Construction progress has already reached the third dimension at Sterling Bay‘s development at 1515 West Webster Avenue on the western edge of Lincoln Park. The four-story, 207,000-square-foot facility will be the new headquarters of third-party logistics juggernaut C.H. Robinson. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Sterling Bay expects to have the new office digs open in mid-2018. For now, that’s up to Power Construction, who look to be making good headway toward that goal.

The heavy lifting ain’t over at the topped-out 1001 West Chicago

1001 West Chicago

The two towers of 1001 West Chicago have reached peak height in River West.

Sure, the highest of the high stuff is lifted at 1001 West Chicago, which celebrated topping out back on March 9th. But there’s still some heavy hoisting to do. If, of course, you consider giant concrete slabs “heavy.” While the tower crane remains on-site, a street crane is handling the podium work.

There’s also the matter of installing windows at the two-tower development by FitzGerald Associates. These are big square windows, as opposed to the full glass walls we’ve been seeing on so many projects. It’s a nice change.

Hanging glass at the new Apple Store

Apple Store glass installation

A barge lends a hand as glass is installed at the new Apple Store.

Last week, I learned it takes a whole mess of suction cups to a glass curtain wall on an Apple Store. It was also a thrill to see a barge being utilized in construction once again, something I’d hoped — actually, kind of assumed — would happen, given the Apple Store’s proximity to the Chicago River. And there’s no mud to be excavated, so it probably won’t sink.

A roof-top crane means 3Eleven nears topping out

3Eleven rooftop crane

This permit, issued Tuesday, allows Power Construction to put a crane on the roof of 3Eleven.

A permit issued last week for a “TEMPORARY TIMBERLAND ASD 35-100 DERRICK CRANE ON ROOF LEVEL” means the John Buck Company’s 3Eleven must be getting close to topping out. I mean, no one puts stuff up on a roof if they don’t anticipate having a roof in the near future, right?

Sure enough, Power Construction says they’ll top out the 25-story apartment tower near the end of the month. Just the 23rd floor, the penthouse-level 24th floor, and mechanical 25th floor remain to be added until it’s roof time.

3Eleven rooftop crane

Rendering of 3Eleven from FitzGerald Associates Architects.

3Eleven rooftop crane

Working in the shadows.

165 North Desplaines goes craneless

165 North Desplaines tower crane

You are in no danger of losing your jobs to me. I’ll be fine down here on terra firma.

This past weekend at 165 North Desplaines in the West Loop was spent dismantling and hauling away the tower crane that had been erecting the rental development since June of last year. The 14-story building topped out in late January, and now it’s a matter of buttoning up the exterior, and getting to work on 199 apartment interiors.

165 North Desplaines tower crane comes down this weekend

165 North Desplaines tower crane

A friday-night look at the 165 North Desplaines tower crane, which comes down this weekend.

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

The West Loop got two new tower cranes within the past week, and on the same lot to boot, when McDonald’s erected a pair at 110 North Carpenter. But now we’ll have to give one back.

165 North Desplaines topped out over a month ago — on January 26th, to be exact — and now all the heavy lifting is done, and it’s time for this tower crane to move on. An email from the 42nd Ward tells us that happens this weekend.

As you shed a tear for the departing tower crane, remember we should have one soon at One South Halsted. And perhaps the Nobu Hotel, should this week’s excavation work be the real deal.

My iPhone and I stopped by 165 North Desplaines on the way home tonight, to take one last look.

3Eleven gets a webpage, signage

And with that tweet, The John Buck Company announced that 3Eleven now has its own website. So in addition to looking fantastic in the sunlight, you can now find 3Eleven on the interwebs.