A lot of work has been done on the townhomes of Prairie Court since our last visit in September. In that time, Summit Design + Build has done some major cinder-block stacking, window installing, and even bricked up the wall at the north end of the project. In all, there will be 55 four-story homes from Golub and Sandz Development, slated for completion in 2018.
Finally got a look at the roof of Wintrust Arena this week. Glad I’m not the one who has to shovel the snow off so work can continue.
Caisson equipment as far as the eye can see.
McHugh Construction crews are rolling rebar cages and digging holes and trenches at the site of McHugh’s new hotel project at 111-123 East Cermak Road in the Prairie District, and that means construction is underway.
The 23-story, 466-room hotel is a design by Antunovich Associates. The City of Chicago filed the building permit back on December 19, and the lot has been filling up with materials ever since. Now, holes are being dug, the aforementioned rebar is being twisted, and caisson equipment is stacked and ready to be sunk into the earth. McHugh, of course, is the general contractor.
This gallery contains 20 photos.
Wintrust Arena, from the corner of Cermak Road and Indiana Avenue.
What was once the McCormick Place Event Center is now, through the miracle of naming rights, Wintrust Arena. The 10,000-seat basketball arena/300,000-square-foot event space by Pelli Clarke Pelli is almost fully enclosed on all four sides now. Sadly, no access to the McCormick Place rooftop garden this visit. Pictures from street level will have to suffice.
Fresh off the presses, Monday’s permit for 22 stories and 466 units at 123 East Cermak Road.
Last week, a permit to prep the lot at 123 East Cermak Road was filed by the City of Chicago, and it appeared at the time there would be a new hotel coming to the north end of Motor Row. Now it’s official.
A permit was filed Monday, allowing for:
466 UNITS, 22 STORIES, MIXED USE-HOTELS, ASSEMBLY AND MERCANTILE, NO PARKING
As mentioned last week, McHugh Construction owns the lot, and they’ll serve as their own general contractor. Antunovich Associates handled design duties.
Now that construction can begin, it’s time to crowd-source a name. The Hughtel?
Looks like it’s finally time to move some soil at 123 East Cermak.
Yesterday, a permit was filed by the City of Chicago for “SITE PREPARATION WITH SOIL RELOCATION AND RE-GRADING” at 123 East Cermak Road. That’s a lot owned by McHugh Construction, and a site where Antunovich Associates has helped design a mixed-use development along East Cermak between Michigan and Indiana Avenues.
A couple years ago, those plans included a hotel, data center, and retail space, all to be located within a block of the new Wintrust Arena. Which of these plans are becoming reality? Could it be all of them?
The small empty lot in the background is 123 East Cermak, with 111 up front.
The American Book Company building, 330 East Cermak Road.
Being rehabbed as part of the Marriott Marquis Chicago in the Prairie District of the South Loop, the American Book Company building is being re-purposed as meeting rooms, office space, and retail.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, the American Book Company building, designed by architect Nelson Max Dunning, was on the endangered list as recently as 2008, when a proposal for the block on which it’s located called for its demolition. It was then designated a Chicago Landmark in 2009.
Speaking of 330 East Cermak Road, Crain’s Chicago reported Thursday that a new data center is coming to this address, and would be situated directly behind the American Book Company building, just north on Calumet Avenue.
That’s the Marriott Marquis Chicago, way over there. Don’t worry; I’ll get you closer.
39 stories. 1,205 rooms. 25,000 square feet of ballroom space. 90,000 square feet of meeting space. Two pedestrian bridges. Lots of glass.
The Marriott Marquis Chicago will have it all when it opens in July of 2017. But for now, what it has are lots of photo ops. If you’re into that sort of thing.
I am.
The McCormick Place Event Center under construction.
It’s surely a combination of blue steel and red crane, but the construction process at the McCormick Place Event Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop is as much fun to watch as any building site in Chicago. And with the rooftop garden at McCormick Place accessible for Open House Chicago this weekend, you can climb up there and take in the view for yourself. (Make a point to check out the vegetables and herbs as well, just to have a memory of being in a garden on a roof, but you’ll be swept in by the construction.)
Quickly, before you’re deluged by a huge gallery of photos: The McCormick Place Event Center will be a 10,000-seat arena designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli serving as the home court for DePaul basketball, as well as a host to concerts, conventions, business meetings, and other sporting events. Clark Construction is the general contractor.
Building Up Chicago 