Caissons begin at Marlowe in River North

Posted on May 3, 2017 by danieldschell

Stalworth Underground drills the first caisson for Marlowe, 675 North Wells Street in River North.

Just over a week after caisson work started on the other side of the block (676 North LaSalle) at The Ardus, caisson work got underway this morning at 675 North Wells Street in River North, home of the future Marlowe development from Lennar Multifamily Companies. Stalworth Underground has the honor of ripping holes in the soil and filling them with concrete for the 15-story, 176-unit apartment project. Antunovich Associates took care of the designs; Power Construction will be on the build.

The good word from Stalworth is there will be 59 bell caissons dug at Marlowe, down to about 80 feet. Diameters range from 2-and-a-half to 3-and-a-half feet, with bells up to 10 feet.

: Caisson #1 started Wednesday morning.

: This will be a two-rig job.

Reilly gives Dana Hotel the business, while blocking business expansion

Posted on May 1, 2017 by danieldschell

Rendering of the proposed Erie Street Hotel from 42nd Ward office.

What Alderman Reilly’s email did to the proposed Erie Street Hotel. Basically.

It’s not often a building gets torn down before it’s even approved.

It case you missed the news (Crain’s nails it here) 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly crushed the Dana Hotel’s dream of expanding its current operation Friday afternoon in an email that left no doubt as to where the alderman stands on the proposal.

In laying the smackdown on the “Erie Street Hotel” and the buildings along Erie Street it would have demolished in the process, Reilly instead demolished the hotel itself, stating that feedback from surrounding neighbors paints the Dana as a bad neighbor, creating traffic problems, noise problems, idling-truck-pollution problems, you name it.

But there’s a sliver of hope.

(1) Spend the next 12 months working to improve operations: (a) acknowledge (rather than deny) & address chronic quality-of-life complaints about the Dana Hotel; (b) improve neighbor relations with permanent removal of nightclub/dance operations; and (c) better manage curbside loading/double parking/traffic flow issues stemming from Valet, Taxicab, UBER, Party Buses and Trolley conflicts.

(2) Forgo a Planned Development and determine what can be developed under existing development entitlements and zoning limitations that apply to a DX-5.

Yep. If the Dana Hotel figures out a way to be good neighbors, and can work out a plan to development without changes to current zoning, the alderman just might reconsider the expansion come 2018.

You can view the email in its entirety here

As Hubbard221 nears the top, 412 North Wells rises to the L

Posted on April 29, 2017 by danieldschell

You can get a train’s-eye view of 412 North Wells right now by taking a relaxing Brown Line ride from the Merchandise Mart up to the Chicago Ave stop. Linn-Mathes is pushing the 9-story office building skyward, now that the residential tower next door, Hubbard221, is nearly topped out. (Is that 22 stories I count?)

Hubbard221 is the 193-unit apartment tower from developer Centrum Partners and designer Hirsch Associates Architects, the team that just saw a tower crane rise on their Wicker Park Connection property. As for this tower crane, it now has double duty to pull, as it tops off the taller tower while beginning to stretch the smaller structure vertically.

: A play on words, with numbers.

The Ardus begins caisson work at 676 North LaSalle

Posted on April 26, 2017 by danieldschell

Chicago, say hello to my new favorite construction crew member.

Tuesday was a big day in the life of The Ardus. A crew from Michels Corporation began drilling caissons at 676 North LaSalle Street in River North, even as the existing building next door continues its gutting and transformation. Booth Hanson has designed 149 apartments to be built into the new and existing structures for Cedar Street Companies. One of those companies, Method Construction, is the general contractor.

Also yesterday, The Ardus received its full building permit from the City of Chicago.

The full building permit arrived in the mail yesterday.

The Caissons

: Drilling the second caisson for The Ardus.

: Working on Caisson #3.

: Storage space is at a premium.

The Renovation

It’s Marlowe time. 675 North Wells lands a permit

Posted on April 13, 2017 by danieldschell

Architectural rendering of Marlowe, 675 North Wells Street, from Antunovich Associates.

Are you ready for Marlowe? Because it’s ready for you.

The surface parking lot at 675 North Wells Street in River North that’s been closed off for several weeks will soon open up again. To construction equipment. Lennar Multifamily Companies (LMC) is the developer for the 15-story apartment tower that received a foundation permit from the City of Chicago on Wednesday. (You may know about Lennar from their Gateway West Loop building. It has pretty lights on the rooftop pool, so you know.)

Designed by Antunovich Associates, Marlowe will have 176 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments across its 15 stories, plus 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

The office of Brendan Reilly 42nd Ward has all the info you care to know about Marlowe, plus lots of pretty renderings of floor plans and such. You can see it all here.

The Foundation Permit, issued Wednesday April 12.

The Moxy Hotel grows a core in River North

Posted on April 12, 2017 by danieldschell

Work atop the core at the Moxy Hotel in River North. #54 is watching.

While the skyscrapers were getting all the attention, the Moxy Hotel project at 530 North LaSalle Drive in River North has begun shooting up out of the ground. The Pepper Construction joint has an elevator core jutting about four stories in the air, while ground work continues around it. This design from DLR Group is only slated for eight stories, so don’t blink on it, or it’ll be done while you napped.

3Eleven has topped out, endangering yet another Chicago Tower Crane

Posted on April 12, 2017 by danieldschell

The top of the topped-out 3Eleven, at 311 West Illinois Street in River North.

Word came down from Power Construction that 3Eleven, the 25-story apartment tower from The John Buck Company, topped out this past Friday. Sure, that’s mostly good news. Good news in that the 245 apartments in the FitzGerald Associates-designed tower will are that much closer to being inhabitable. Good news in that the 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space can soon open to new businesses. Good news in that parishioners at Assumption Catholic Church will soon have parking again, after the church parking lot was removed to make room for 3Eleven.

But the topping out also means we lose another tower crane in Chicago. One of the pretty yellow ones, too. And you know how much I love those. Who else remembers August of last year, when the stub was first planted, like a newborn baby coming home from the hospital? Sigh. I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry….

Here are some photos of the topped-out 3Eleven. Look at them, while I try to compose myself.

: What a beautiful baby you were. Never forget.

: Rendering of 3Eleven from FitzGerald Associates.

: Selfie.

The overhaul of 676 North LaSalle into The Ardus is underway

Posted on April 5, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ardus, 676 North LaSalle, starts with demolition work, under the watchful eye of Gallery on Wells.

Demolition is happening in earnest, inside and out, at 676 North LaSalle Street in River North, transforming a six-story building into The Ardus.

A project of Cedar Street Companies, The Ardus will have about 150 residential units, with below grade parking. Most of those units will be in a new tower on the corner of LaSalle and Huron Streets. But some will be in the existing building itself, hence the demo work before renovations occur, including additional stories on top.

Booth Hansen has done the design work for the transformation as well as the new property. Method Construction, one of the Cedar Street companies, is the general contractor. Alpine Demolition is doing the wrecking.

: The Ardus hides behind the old Erie LaSalle body shop, also soon to be demolished.

: The east facing.

: The view from the back. Lots of light in this building now.

: The north facing.

: Major interior demolition.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: Rendering of The Ardus from Cedar Street Companies.

: The Foundation Permit for the new building.

: The renovation for the existing building.

351 West Huron beaming itself into River North

Posted on March 28, 2017 by danieldschell

351 West Huron is a condominium development in River North at — ready for this? — 351 West Huron Street.

351 West Huron is a new condominium building fast entering River North. A project from Regency Development Group of Northbrook, 351 West Huron won’t be your typical condo. The seven-story structure will contain just six full-floor units, every one of them with three/four bedrooms and 4,500 square feet, a two-car garage, private elevator entrances, and, from what the renderings illustrate, to-die-for balconies and terraces. Hartshorne Plunkard Architects did the design work on the building; Summit Design + Build is on the build.

There’s already lots of steel framing the building, and floor plates were being added during a recent visit.

: a rendering of 351 West Huron from 351whuron.com

: The “typical” 3-bedroom floorplan.

Construction progress: The Ronsley

Posted on March 27, 2017 by danieldschell

The Ronsley, 676 North Kingsbury Street in River North.

Back in January, we took a long look at construction progression of The Ronsley, the River North renovation project from LG Development. And since January was two months ago, I figure it’s time to check in again.

No disappointment here. The original facades along both Kingsbury and Huron Streets continue to dazzle, while there’s already glass added to the additional stories that are being built atop the existing five floors. What had been an empty lot behind the building has now sprouted six stories high.