Kenect kenstruction kentinues toward kempletion

Posted on September 15, 2016 by danieldschell

Kenect looks ready to open. And look at that beautiful subway entrance!

Kenect is a residential development from Akara Partners at 500 North Milwaukee Avenue in River West comprised of a 14-story tower on the west side of the 500-block of North Green Street with 179 apartments, and a 4-story structure on the east side of Green Street with 48 units. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, Kenect also includes 122 parking spots and 14,000 square feet of retail space. Tishman Construction is the general contractor.

Kenect is throwing a big Grand Opening bash on October 6, 2016. Both buildings look close to being done, especially the taller of the two, the “west” tower. There’s even some furniture and grills on a few balconies. Even the Blue Line entrance on the sidewalk at Milwaukee and Chicago, right out in front of Kenect, looks great.

: Patio furniture. (Not the Tower of Pisa)

1001 West Chicago plants itself a tower crane

Posted on September 14, 2016 by danieldschell

A crane builds a crane at 1001 West Chicago.

If it seems Power Construction is everywhere around Chicago these days, it’s because Power Construction is everywhere around Chicago these days. Tuesday, while most of the crew continued work on the foundations for 1001 West Chicago, the rest of the gang took part in yet another tower crane erection. The design from FitzGerald Associates brings 360 apartments in two mid-rise towers, 10,000 square feet of retail (including a grocery store) and 300 parking spaces for all those residents and shoppers.

: Spotted from the Building Up Chicago HQ.

: NOPE

: Let’s give the non-tower crane a little love. It’s important, too.

: Foundation work continues.

A tower crane juts into the River West sky

Posted on September 13, 2016 by danieldschell

As seen from the Building Up Chicago offices, the new tower crane at 1001 West Chicago.

Crews are assembling Chicago’s latest tower crane at 1001 West Chicago today. The crane was permitted back on August 23. Look for more photos in this space as they become available. (In other words…”when I can get up there to take some.”)

The Tower Crane Permit.

No more loafing on old Gonnella site as foundation crews rip into the earth

Posted on August 15, 2016 by danieldschell

Ahhh, the familiar din of caisson work.

Surely this development will have a cool name soon. But for now, 1001 West Chicago will have to suffice (despite the two foundation permits being filed as 728 and 738 North Morgan Street.) That was the address of the Gonnella Baking Company when it was on this site in River West. Now, the entire lot is leveled, and crews are busy drilling caissons for a huge 360-unit apartment project from Bond Companies, which came up with the bread to get this development on a roll.

The design from Fitzgerald Associates will include 10,000 square feet of retail space, and parking for 300 cars. As you can see in the photos, Revcon is out there on the caisson work; Power Construction is handling the general contractor duties.

: A rendering of 1001 West Chicago from FitzGerald Associates.

: The 728 North Morgan permit.

: The 738 North Morgan permit,

Pair of Demolition Permits Signals the Start of 710 Grand [Updated]

Posted on July 14, 2016 by danieldschell

It will take longer than 18 seconds, but the garages will be demolished.

708 + 712 = 710.

Oh, I’m sorry. Were you told there would be no math? Allow me to explain.

Yesterday, the City of Chicago filed two demolition permits for properties at 708 West Grand Avenue and 712 West Grand Avenue. The owner of those structures is Wicker Park Apartments, and this is where they’ll erect 710 Grand, a 9-story building at 710 West Grand Avenue in River West with 105 apartments. Included will be 45 parking spaces and 5,000 square feet of retail space. 710 West Grand is a design from Brininstool + Lynch (1333 & 1345 Wabash, among many others.) Recyclean will handle the demolition.

***UPDATE: The City of Chicago issued a third demolition permit, on Thursday the 14th. This one is for the 4-story building between the two “garages.” All three buildings, 708, 710, and 712 West Grand Avenue are now ready to come down.***

Rendering of 710 West Grand from Brininstool + Lynch.

712 and 708 West Grand Avenue. That 4-story will come down too, but not the condo building on the far right (hidden by tree)

The demo permit for 708 West Grand. The permit for 712 looks pretty much the same.

It’s no one-story garage, but this is the current 710 West Grand. It will be demolished.

So, pretty much everything you see here, except the cars, gets demolished. 708-712 West Grand Avenue.

The third piece to the puzzle; a demo permit for 710 West Grand Avenue.

River West lot on Chicago Avenue Gets a Permit

Posted on July 13, 2016 by danieldschell

A rendering of 738 North Morgan, from FitzGerald Associates Architects’ website.

Developer Bond Companies (developer of The Maxwell in the South Loop) has secured a permit from the City of Chicago to begin construction on a mixed-use project at 1001 West Chicago Avenue in River West.

The site, designated in the permit as 738 North Morgan Street, sits across Chicago Avenue from the Chicago Academy For the Arts. The lot is bounded to the west by North Carpenter Street, the south by North Milwaukee Avenue, and the east by North Morgan Street.

While the permit doesn’t offer many details, FitzGerald Associates Architects, the West Loop firm that designed 738 North Morgan, shows on its website a three-building complex, the tallest of which will be 16 stories, a dwelling unit count of 360, and 10,000 square feet of retail space. The permit calls for a 13-story building, which might be for just one of the buildings FitzGerald shows in the rendering. The two taller structures appear to be different heights. Power Construction will be the general contractor.

The foundation permit to begin work at 738 North Morgan.

Also filed Tuesday, a demolition permit for this building, F&G Electrical Supply at 727 North Milwaukee Avenue, which is part of the same large lot.

The rest of the lot is a blank slate, ready for developing.

Ground Already Broken, 851 West Grand Gets a Permit

Posted on June 22, 2016 by danieldschell

With a building permit in hand, look for more than two people working on 851 West Grand very soon.

There’s a new building permit on file with the city of Chicago for the site located at 851 West Grand Avenue in River West.

Monroe Residential Partners broke ground for the FitzGerald Associates Architects design back in May. There have been something called “reaction piers” installed on the site, according to a FitzGerald Facebook post, but other than that, 851 West Grand has been a relatively quiet lot since.

Not anymore. Expect lots of action now that a permit is on file with the City of Chicago. Summit Design + Build is the general contractor tasked with erecting the 6-story, 36-unit apartment building. Monroe plans like to have 851 West Grand ready before the 2017 is out.

: A rendering of 851 West Grand from Monroe Residential Partners.

: The Permit.

: The big equipment started showing up in early June.

: You can see those “reaction piers” just in front of the tarp. Someone smarter will have to explain what they do. Besides react.

: The Lot

Big Kenect and Little Kenect Progress Kentinues.

Posted on June 9, 2016 by danieldschell

The 14-story tower that makes up about 78% of Kenect’s floorage. If floorage was a word.

At 500 North Milwaukee Avenue in the West Town neighborhood, Akara Partners is developing Kenect, a two-building apartment complex designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

When complete, Kenect will have a 14-story tower on the west side of North Green Street with 179 apartments, and a 4-story structure on the east side of Green Street with 48 units. The two will share 122 car parking spaces and 50 bike parking spaces, while the entire complex will include some 14,000 square feet of retail space.