Sterling Bay Finds An Ace The West Loop Can Keep

Posted on July 14, 2016 by danieldschell

That tower crane off in the distance is building the Ace Hotel, with the help of that cement rig.

An Ace Hotel is on the rise at 311 North Morgan Street in the West Loop. Developed by Sterling Bay, the Ace is dealing 159 keys to the primo location directly across the street from Google’s office building at 1000 Fulton Market.

The design, by Chicago’s GREC Architects, will feature a green roof, first-floor retail, and 30 underground parking spaces. Power Construction has been on the build since last fall, including painstaking efforts to preserve the historic facade that faces Morgan Street.

Because the word “boutique” is fun to use, I will mention that the Ace will be a boutique hotel.

: Those aren’t just industrial-style billboards. The shipping containers are supporting the historic facade along Morgan Street that’s being preserved.

: Pouring cement barely within view of the buildingupchicago office.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot, from a much nicer day.

River West lot on Chicago Avenue Gets a Permit

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of 738 North Morgan, from FitzGerald Associates Architects’ website.

Developer Bond Companies (developer of The Maxwell in the South Loop) has secured a permit from the City of Chicago to begin construction on a mixed-use project at 1001 West Chicago Avenue in River West.

The site, designated in the permit as 738 North Morgan Street, sits across Chicago Avenue from the Chicago Academy For the Arts. The lot is bounded to the west by North Carpenter Street, the south by North Milwaukee Avenue, and the east by North Morgan Street.

While the permit doesn’t offer many details, FitzGerald Associates Architects, the West Loop firm that designed 738 North Morgan, shows on its website a three-building complex, the tallest of which will be 16 stories, a dwelling unit count of 360, and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The permit calls for a 13-story building, which might be for just one of the buildings FitzGerald shows in the rendering. The two taller structures appear to be different heights. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

The foundation permit to begin work at 738 North Morgan.

Also filed Tuesday, a demolition permit for this building, F&G Electrical Supply at 727 North Milwaukee Avenue, which is part of the same large lot.

The rest of the lot is a blank slate, ready for developing.

2950 North Sheridan Gets Its Glass In Gear

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A thumb’s up from Power Construction as they get their glass on.

Way way up north, so far north, in fact, that it’s in Lake View, which is almost a suburb, Power Construction is busy erecting Wirtz Realty’s latest rental development, 2950 North Sheridan.

A render from Booth Hansen of the glassy, curvy 2950 North Sheridan.

Situated at 2950 North Sheridan Road (natch), Booth Hansen has designed a 19-story, 82-unit apartment tower with a whole bunch (113) of parking spaces. The most prominent feature of this building will be its curved facade facing south along Oakdale Avenue. Power has started installing glass on said curve, and it’s already impressive. When this tower opens to residents in 2017, it’ll be curvy and glassy and shiny like you read about.

: Looking at the west end of the tower, looking east on Oakdale Avenue.

: More glass. Much more glass.

: The curved facade along Oakdale.

: 2930 North Sheridan reflected in the new glass of 2950.

: The curved south wall.

: Looking northwest from the corner of Sheridan and Oakdale.

: Gratuitous tower crane shot.

: It’s like a tower crane, but for people.

: Ground-level work. A height that’s more my speed.

: The podium along Sheridan Road.

: Looking south down Sheridan Road at the podium and tower.

: Glass on the east-facing wall.

: More east facade.

The New Homewood Suites/Hampton Inn Has Your Room Almost Ready [updated]

Posted on July 11, 2016 by danieldschell

The back of the Homewood Suites-Hampton Inn in the West Loop.

It may not exactly be the kind of room service you’re expecting, but Power Construction is busy getting a new Homewood Suites-Hampton Inn ready for you in Chicago.

At 118 North Jefferson Street in the West Loop, the new combination hotel from developer Jupiter Realty will pack 336 rooms into the 24-story tower that, from the outside, looks close to being done. Designed by architect *Mike Siegel of VOA Associates, Homewood/Hampton will include about 8,000 square feet of retail space, while providing 117 indoor parking spots. The building permit also mentions a restaurant on the 24th floor.

Ready to make a reservation? Jupiter hopes to have the hotels ready for guests in September of this year.

7/25/2016 This story has been updated to show Mike Siegel as the correct designer of the Homewood Suites/ Hampton Inn.

: Power Construction began foundation work got in April of 2015.

: The tower crane came down in May.

: The front of the hotels, along North Jefferson Street.

: Still work to do on the exterior, but not much.

: This is the north wall, from Randolph Street.

: This is the south wall, from Washington.

: Front (east) and south facings.

: The back of the hotel from the alley, straight up. (Thanks to the airliner for the fly-by)

: The parking podium, seen from the alley.

: If your hotel reflects River Point, yours is a good hotel.

625 West Adams Pours Foundation Equipment Into 465 North Park

Video

Case Foundation made quick work of the caissons for the new office tower at 625 West Adams Street in the West Loop. So what does one do with all that equipment? Well, this is Chicago, and all those tools and toys are in high demand.

Which is why most of it poured into the construction site at 465 North Park Drive in Streeterville. That’s where Power Construction (625’s general contractor as well) has begun foundation work on the 47-story, 444-apartment tower designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners. There, it will all be reassembled so holes can be dug and caissons can be sunk and a tower can be built.

: These lonely excavators from last week have some company.

: Reassembling the caisson driller.

: A clandestine view from the back of the lot. (I stayed behind the protective fencing like a good stalker.)

Can You Dig 465 North Park? This Permit Says Indeed You May

Posted on July 6, 2016 by danieldschell

A straight-up rendering of 465 North Park from Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

It’s Showtime for 465 North Park.

That dirt being shoved around last month wasn’t just for fun. Yesterday, the City of Chicago filed a foundation permit for the new apartment tower at 465 North Park Drive in Streeterville. That’s right next door to the new Loews Hotel, and just across Illinois Street from the AMC River East.

Another design from Pappageorge Haymes Partners, 465 North Park will stand 47 stories tall and weigh…actually, I don’t have stats on weight. But expect 444 apartments, with 181 parking spaces. The permit says parking will be on levels one through four, an amentiy deck on the 6th floor, apartments for regular folks on 7-35, penthouse units on 38-46, and a mechanical floor at the 47th level.

Jupiter Realty Company is the developer. Power Construction has the general contractor reins. Expect to see caisson equipment start pouring into the lot any minute now.

Power Construction and Pappageorge Haymes Partners. How’s that for a Power Couple?

Reinforcements are on the way.

The Foundation Permit for 465 North Park.

Earth is moving for gigantic River North home

Posted on June 30, 2016 by danieldschell

They’re scraping and digging at 455 West Superior Street.

I don’t normally pay mind to single-family development. I like the big stuff. The tall stuff. The expensive stuff.

The Permit.

Well, here’s a single-family home that fits into all three categories. Back in March, Dennis Rodkin at Crain’s was all over the news of a permit being filed for a home to be built at 455 West Superior Street in River North. What makes this home so unusual? Let’s have a look at that permit, filed by the City of Chicago on March 1, 2016.

It’s a five-story, single-family home. That’s a tall home.
The permit estimates construction costs at just under $10,000,000.00!
THERE WILL BE CAISSONS! This is gonna be one *heavy* home. (Yeah, no basement. I guess the game room will have to be on one of the five above-ground floors.)
Power Construction is the general contractor. That’s a heavy hitter for your home building.

Not much has been done since March, until now. When I walked past on Thursday, I saw the first signs of active construction since the permit. Scraping and digging. Just like they do for skyscrapers. This will be an interesting home to watch go up.

The actual permit, displayed on site at 455 West Superior Street.

Another view of the lot, which, according to Dennis Rodkin’s article, is really *three* lots.

455 West Superior on March 2, the day after the permit was filed.

165 North Desplaines Digs In [Updated]

Posted on June 28, 2016 by danieldschell

There is a large, mean-looking red beast on the other side of the fence at 165 North Desplaines.

While I’ve had my face pressed against the window looking south at 625 West Adams, just three blocks north of the office, Power Construction is getting caissons buried on another of their West Loop projects.

At 165 North Desplaines, Revcon Construction has equipment on site, and it’s being used to dig the foundations for the new 14-story GREC Architects design. Developer Gerding Edlen (Xavier Apartments, The Jones Chicago) is putting 199 apartments here, while also renovating the existing building at 152 North Jefferson.

*** THIS JUST IN: Yesterday, 165 North Desplaines received its Tower Crane Permit from the City of Chicago. This will pair quite nicely with the 625 West Adams Tower Crane, also permitted yesterday, June 28. ***

Here, as always, is photographic proof of the presence of construction goings-on:

: A rendering of 165 North Desplaines from GREC Architects.

: The red beast, purring.

: The Sears Tower takes a peek into the 165 North Desplaines lot.

: A caisson is drilled just inside the fence.

: A busy site is a happy sight.

: Corrugated tubes.

: Rebar tubes. I love rebar tubes.

: This will have to do until there’s a tower crane to take a gratuitous shot of.

: The Haymarket Monument being hauled away for safe keeping during construction.

30 East Continues Ground Work in the South Loop

Posted on June 21, 2016 by danieldschell

A bird’s eye view (if the bird parks its car) of construction work at 30 East.

Smack dab in the middle of all the murals in the Wabash Arts Corridor, Power Construction crews are hard at work on 30 East, a 16-story residential tower coming to the South Loop at 30 East Balbo Avenue.

Gilbane Development Company has its eye on the growing student population in this neighborhood. In that respect, 30 East will have 134 apartments ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units. Every unit will be furnished, ideal for student rentals. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 30 East will also have 8,000 square feet of retail space at the ground level. Gilbane expects to have the tower ready for Fall 2017 classes.

: 30 Balbo is surrounded by fantastic mural art.

: There’s even a mural on the job site itself.

: The best way to not forget which tower crane goes with which construction site is to put a banner on them.

Drillin’ and Fillin’ at 625 West Adams

Posted on June 16, 2016 by danieldschell

625 West Adams is a beehive of activity.

Monday, I showed you photos of foundation equipment being moved into the construction site at 625 West Adams Street that is soon to become 625 West Adams, a 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty Partners.

Well, let me do some math for you: That was THREE DAYS AGO. And here we are on Thursday, and Power Construction crews are ripping holes in the earth for caissons like the foundation rigs are due back tomorrow. At this rate, the SCB-designed 625 West Adams might be move-in ready by Tuesday. (Well, not *this* Tuesday, I guess. But *a* Tuesday, for sure.)