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I told you Thursday morning it looked like 3Eleven was getting ready for a tower crane of its own. And just a few hours later, there it was. Here are a few extra looks, from the L, and from the ground:
The tell-tale sign of a future tower crane, at 3Eleven
Revcon Construction has hauled away most of its caisson equipment, leaving the site at 311 West Illinois Street to Power Construction to start building the 24-story apartment tower from The John Buck Company.
A tower crane permit was filed for 3Eleven waaaay back on June 21. And now, we know where it’s going to stand: in the “back right” (southwest) corner of the lot. Expect the stub to be planted any day now.
A CTA Purple Line trains passes construction at Hubbard and Wells.
Case Foundation is on the case at Hubbard and Wells, where Centrum Partners is developing not one, but two new buildings for River North: a 9-story office building at 412 North Wells Street, and a 23-story, 193-unit apartment tower at 221 West Hubbard Street. You can get a great view off progress by hopping a Purple or Brown Line train at Merchandise Mart and riding north.
**Better yet, get on a train at Chicago Avenue, get in the last car, ride south, and take a lap through The Loop. Back-of-the-train views are the best.)**
The two Hirsch Associates projects got foundation permits a week apart at the end of June and early July, the parking lot it used to be was immediately fenced off, and Case brought their big toys in to start drilling caissons. Once that’s all done, Linn-Mathes takes full control of the process, getting these two glass edifices off the ground and heading skyward.
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.
First the cars were kicked out of the parking lot. Then the fencing went up. Then the Divvy station got kicked to a different curb. And now, there’s scraping and digging going on at 221 West Hubbard (and 412 North Wells, for that matter) in preparation for Centrum Partners’ two-building development in River North.
Designed by Hirsch Associates Architects, 412 North Wells will be a 9-story office building, next to 221 West Hubbard’s 23-story apartment tower.
Linn-Mathes, general contractor for both structures, must be champing at the bit to get going on this lot. It was hoped building permits would be filed around the first of April, but some soil samples turned up negative results, and that set things back awhile. But they’re up and running now. Jump on a Brown or Purple Line train and enjoy the fun.
If you erect them, they will come watch. Them being tower cranes, they being I.
To be fair, and uncreepy, I was hardly the only interested party spectating at State and Huron Streets Saturday, as a crew from Morrow Equipment Company erected another of its pretty yellow cranes at the 8 East Huron construction site.
Recapping 8 East Huron, it will be a 26-story apartment tower with 105 units. CA Ventures is the developer, Valerio DeWalt Train Associates the designer, and Clark Construction he general contractor. Units are expected to be ready for occupancy in 2017.
In this rendering from Hirsch Associates, 412 North Wells stands front and center; 221 West Hubbard is to the right.
Last week, the residential tower from Centrum Partners at 221 West Hubbard Street in River North got a permit from the City of Chicago to begin foundation work. And now, officially, that lot at Hubbard and Wells is twice as busy.
Yesterday, a permit was filed for caisson work to get started for the other half of this couple, the 9-story office building at 412 North Wells Street. The two towers, both designs from Howard Hirsch of Hirsch Associates Architecture, were delayed slightly by negative results from soil sampling on the site. But the delay is no more. With permits in hand, general contractor Linn-Mathes can flood that lot with caisson equipment, and get to drilling.
412 North Wells will curve with the L tracks that pass by.
The (Caisson) Permit.
The Hudson, 750 North Hudson Avenue, will sit on the corner of Hudson and Chicago.
The Hudson is a 25-story apartment tower at 750 North Hudson Avenue being developed by the Onni Group of Companies. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, The Hudson will have 240 one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units and 240 parking spaces, with 10,000 square feet of retail space at ground level. Onni Group pulls double duty here by acting as its own general contractor.
If that address, 750 North Hudson, doesn’t ring bells in your head, think of The Hudson as being located at about 425 West Chicago Avenue. That’s where its most prominent facing will be, along Chicago Avenue.
A rendering of 221 West Hubbard (and 412 North Wells) from Hirsch Associates.
This one took awhile.
When last I heard about the proposed office and residential development at 221 West Hubbard Street in River North, it was February. Crews were working in the dirt, and I jumped the gun, assuming construction was ready to begin. It wasn’t. Turns out, soil sampling results were less than ideal, stalling the entire process.
The Permit
I was told it was hopeful a construction permit would be filed for 221 West Hubbard around April 1. And here we are three months later, and finally, the City of Chicago has filed a permit to begin foundation work on the 23-story residential tower portion of the two-structure project.
Designed by Howard Hirsch at Hirsch Associates Architecture, the Centrum Partners development will have 193 apartments in the tower on the west end of the lot at Hubbard Street and Wells, and a 9-story office building with 41,000 rentable square feet on the east end. 91 parking spaces will be included in the residential portion.
For folks getting on and off the Brown and Purple Line trains at the Merchandise Mart, like me, this will be a prime spectating venue as LInn-Mathes, the general contractor, gets to work.
Good ole Ed Debevic’s. May it Rest Its Peas.
Unless you ate there, you miss Ed Debevic’s.
Kidding. Oh, come on. I’M KIDDING!
Okay, I’m done messing with Ed. (You’ll have to go here if you want to see more.)
At 640 North Wells Street, where Ed’s called home, JDL Development is erecting a 23-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. When completed, 640 North Wells will have 251 units and 12,000 square feet of retail space. Expect about 140 parking spots too, if the building permit is to be believed. 640 North Wells is another Lendlease build.
