Stuff That’s Done: NEMA Chicago

Posted on January 24, 2020 by danieldschell

With only a few weeks remaining on-site, our team will soon be vacating #NEMAChicago, and the tenants are already enjoying the amazing views and the luxurious amenities.

We thank our project team and partners for helping us bring this fantastic building to Chicago's #SouthLoop. pic.twitter.com/yMo1TTYBYp

— McHugh Construction (@McHughConstruct) January 23, 2020

NEMA Chicago started out as One Grant Park. I liked that name. It didn’t give you the address, but you still knew right where it must be. You know, that really really tall one at the south end of the park. Alas, things and names change.

Thursday, James McHugh Construction sent out the above tweet, announcing they’ve done all they can do at NEMA, more than three years after taking control of the empty lot at Indiana and Michigan Avenues, and Roosevelt Road.

There are 800 apartments in this brand new 76-story skyscraper, and if the views of Chicago aren’t enough for you, it also has about a kajillion square feet of amenity space. It’s a marvelous design by Rafael Viñoly Architects. Crescent Heights is the developer. NEMA Chicago opened to residents in July 2019.

: Empty lot, July 2016.

: Site prep, December 2016

McHugh Construction Instagrams NEMA Chicago’s 50th

Posted on June 18, 2018 by danieldschell

View this post on Instagram

More love for our NEMA Chicago project this week! Decking for floor 50 has begun – only 26 more floors to go!

A post shared by James McHugh Construction Co. (@mchughconstruct) on Jun 15, 2018 at 1:30pm PDT

There was another Golden Anniversary of sorts to celebrate last week, as McHugh Construction posted the above photo to their Instagram page announcing the start of Floor #50 at NEMA Chicago. The South Loop tower by Rafael Viñoly Architects, which started life as 1200 South Indiana, became One Grant Park, and has now settled in as a member of Crescent Heights’ NEMA franchise, will eventually grow to 76 stories.

: This will always be my favorite view of NEMA.

One Grant Park gets a new name (NEMA Chicago) and new glass (finally!)

Posted on May 11, 2018 by danieldschell

NEMA Chicago grows in the South Loop, despite being obscured by the Canal Street Railroad Bridge.

One Grant Park was a fine name for the new tower at 1200 South Indiana Avenue in the South Loop. It paid homage to the park whose south end the tower would anchor. Alas, the moniker wasn’t meant to last, and now One Grant Park has a new name: NEMA Chicago. This is according to the website of developer Crescent Heights. And if it’s on their website, it has to be real.

Something else One Grant Park just–oops…NEMA Chicago–just picked up, and this took longer than expected: cladding. Curtain wall. Windows. Glass. Glorious glass. Some up high, some down low. But it’s there, at last.

: NEMA Chicago grows in the South Loop, despite being obscured by the Canal Street Railroad Bridge.

One Grant Park continues to spring upwards as April arrives

Posted on April 10, 2018 by danieldschell

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.

One Grant Park continues its climb into the South Loop heights

Posted on February 16, 2018 by danieldschell

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.

Quick Look: October progress at One Grant Park

Gallery

Posted on October 11, 2017 by danieldschell

This gallery contains 33 photos.

Here comes Tower Crane #2 at One Grant Park

Posted on September 20, 2017 by danieldschell

One Grant park’s original tower crane stands proudly over its latest project: Tower Crane #2.

As One Grant Park continues to grow, we saw growth of another kind on Tuesday: Tower Crane #2 has sprouted up from the stub planted on the site last week.

When I arrived late in the afternoon, the crane’s tower had grown, but the crawler crane on the lot last week planting the stub was nowhere to be found. That tells me Tower Crane #1 is putting Crane #2 together. Doesn’t that kind of teamwork just melt your heart. Crane #1 will continue working on the residential of the tower (that being the 792 apartments we all want to see the views from) and Crane #2 will work on the parking deck that extends up through the 16th floor.

As for the rest of work at One Grant Park that doesn’t involve assembling tower cranes, McHugh Construction crews look like they’ve reached the 15th floor, by my count. Just 61 stories to go to reach 76. We’ll have plenty of progress to watch for over the coming fall and winter months.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: More photos than you’ll ever need of a tower crane that isn’t even finished yet… plus the rest of progress on One Grant Park.

: This is what we can see without leaving the B.U.C. HQ.

: That view, zoomed.

One Grant Park plants its second tower crane

Posted on September 14, 2017 by danieldschell

Tower Crane Stub #2 at One Grant Park, courtesy of a reader.

A little birdie told us the second tower crane stub arrived at One Grant Park on Wednesday, and proved it with a couple photos. Birdies are smart. And good sharers.

McHugh Construction got the second permit on August 24, then got a foundation permit for it on August 29. 12 piles were driven into the ground for support, and now the stub stands ready for a “free-standing Pecco SN 160 tower crane.”

: Tower Crane #2 peeks out above construction fencing at One Grant Park.

: Meanwhile, that looks like 16 levels of progress on Crescent Heights’ apartment tower.

One Grant Park jumps the big tower crane as we wait for the little one

Posted on August 31, 2017 by danieldschell

That’s a good looking group of recruits lined up for the One Grant Park tower crane jump.

Thursday was crane-jumping day at One Grant Park in the South Loop, as crews got ready to raise the tower crane to Phase Two. McHugh Construction got a permit tie in for phases 2-thru-5 back on August 4. How many tower-crane phases will there be for the 76-story tower? Well, that’s a question I wish I hadn’t asked, because I have no idea. Let’s pretend that sentence isn’t here.

The second tower crane permit, issued 08/24/17.

As for the “little one,” the City of Chicago issued a permit for a “FREE STANDING PECCO SN 160 TOWER CRANE” on the 24th of this month, then followed it up with a foundation permit for said crane on Tuesday of this week, the 29th. So yes, One Grant Park will have two tower cranes.

: The tower crane has the cutest little house.

: Oh, hey.

More from One Grant Park

Posted on August 14, 2017 by danieldschell

One Grant Park rises on the corner of Indiana Avenue and Roosevelt Road.

It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve checked in on One Grant Park, when the Rafael Viñoly Architects-designed tower scored its full-build permit. And sure enough, McHugh Construction is still building it. That’s what you do when you get permits.

Have a look: