W.E. O’Neil begins construction on Plumbers Local 130 Training Center

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition of the old Plumbing Industry Center in May.

First, it was what looked like a fairly nice building. Then, it was a hole in the ground. Now, there’s stuff going on in that hole. And it’s construction.

After breaking ground at 1400 West Washington Boulevard on June 28th, W.E. O’Neil is rolling on the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center. The 3-story, 50,000-square-foot building in the West Loop will facilitate the education of journeymen and apprentice plumbers from all around Chicago.

Designed by Gensler, the project got underway with an April demolition permit for the old Plumbing Industry Center, followed by the new construction permit issued June 21st. It’s expected by this time next year, the training center will be complete.

: Revcon is right in the middle of things, doing caisson work.

: A rendering from the W.E. O’Neil website.

: Another W.E. O’Neil render.

: The old building. Didn’t look half bad.

: A very glarey building permit.

: Trucking in caisson equipment.

: Rebar tubes.

Construction Update: 3Eleven Caisson Work

Posted on July 25, 2016 by danieldschell

Revcon has caisson work well underway at 3Eleven.

Sit back while I tell you everything I know about the goings-on in the 300 block of West Illinois Street in River North.

At 311 West Illinois Street, the John Buck Company is putting up 3Eleven, a 25-story apartment tower, in what used to be the parking lot of Assumption Catholic Church. The FitzGerald Associates Architects-designed building will boast 245 “luxury” rentals, 3,000 square feet of retail, and 109 parking spaces, some of which will be set aside for the exclusive use of the church. Power Construction is on the build, and Revcon Construction is revving up the caissons as we speak.

Separately, on the other side of the church, a one-story addition is being added to the priory building. That is a project designed by McBride Kelley Baurer Architects, with Norcon, Inc. of Chicago handling the general contractor duties. I’d show you photos of that work, but there isn’t much to see. The action is all at the east end of the block.

: Up close and personal with the caisson rig.

: An actual caisson in the wild. Though it’s fenced in.

: The roof of the priory.

: Assumption Catholic Church in the background.

: The Foundation Permit.

: Since we’re here, a couple details of Assumption Catholic Church.

The Calm Before the Storm at 165 North Desplaines

Posted on July 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Where did all that equipment go? 165 North Desplaines is (temporarily) very quiet.

Tear it down.

Smooth it over.

Dig the holes.

Smooth it over.

Such is the cycle of life for a construction site. We’re in that fourth phase now at 165 North Desplaines. It’s eerily quiet, now that caisson equipment has been shipped off (is some of it now at 3Eleven?).

Of course, the silence won’t last. Expect Power Construction to swamp the lot soon to build the foundation and set up a tower crane. (Perhaps in that first big hole in the southwest corner of the lot?)

Seems to me this could be a good place for a new tower crane.

Things got all smoothed over in June, too. After demolition was complete, but before caisson work started.

Shout-out to Power Construction for having a chair waiting for me on site.

Spotted at 3Eleven, another Power site. Did it travel direct from 165 North Desplaines?

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.

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: