Tag Archives: South Loop

First look at what’s coming to 1723 South Michigan

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1723 South Michigan rendering via Gensler.

Gensler has released renderings of the 12-story building under construction at 1723 South Michigan in the South Loop. I hadn’t seen even a hint of what this development was going to look like, so I’m grateful to Gensler for letting us have a peek.

1723 South Michigan started out as a 13-story building when first permitted last year. That’s changed, as of a revised permit issued in January. It’s now a 12-story, 149-unit building with 89 parking spaces built into the first two levels. There is no below-grade parking. There *is* ground-floor retail space, and lots of glass and balconies. What looks like a glass railing along the top of the building gives the appearance of a rooftop deck. We’ll have to wait on that detail.

1723 South Michigan is being built by Brandts Build, with Goebel Forming on concrete. (Not cement. Concrete.) CMK Companies is the developer, and Gensler, of course, is the design architect.

Oh, and those renderings show “1717” on the building. So maybe we’re in for a name change soon on this development. We’ll have more news on that as it…develops.

1723 South Michigan rendering via Gensler.
1723 South Michigan rendering via Gensler.
Revision permit via Chicago Data Portal.

Cladding is Darn Near Done at 633 South LaSalle

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Top off your glass for you? That’s what they’re doing at 633 South LaSalle, as the curtain wall/cladding/whatever you wanna call it rises up Q Investment Partners’ 18-story residential tower in the South Loop. Only about one-and-a-half floors remain in need of glazing.

Clark Construction has been working on this FitzGerald-designed development for awhile now, before and after a slight pause in the financing game, with the goal of having residents begin moving in next year. It looks more and more every day like they’ll easily meet that deadline.

As you’ll see by clicking on the Melrose Ascension Capital link above, 633 South LaSalle will have units starting under $1,700/month. For being so close to The Loop, that seems like a nice price.

Chicago’s newest tower crane goes to work at 1723 South Michigan

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There’s a new tower crane in town, picking stuff up and setting it back down, and it’s going to send 1723 South Michigan vertical. This 12-story, 149-unit rental building is being developed by CMK Companies. Along with retail space on the ground floor, the first three levels will include 89 parking stalls.

Congratulations to Brandts Build for their first tower crane on my count. Hopefully there will be a couple more one block west when this one’s finished. Shout-out as well to Goebel Forming, the concrete contractor here.

And now, the tower crane photos:

1723 South Michigan gets in on the tower crane fun

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The tower crane stub rises from the construction site at 1723 South Michigan in the South Loop

A tower crane base has been set at the 1723 South Michigan construction site. A long stroll down through the South Loop was timed perfectly, as it appeared the crane base was being planted in concrete Tuesday just before I got there.

Will this tower crane be erected in time to make it onto the June count? We started May with nine. The stub at 220 North Ada in the Fulton Market District and this one could get us to 11, sparing any others being taken down.

1723 South Michigan is a 12-story, 149-unit rental building being developed by CMK Companies. (They also have a couple sites a block west on South Wabash. Those should get going once the South Michigan property is well underway, if not completed.) Along with retail space on the ground floor, the first two levels will include 89 parking stalls.

Gensler is the design architect. Brandts Build is the general contractor, a company I’m adding to my tower crane count for the first time.

Permits received for 1723 South Michigan (they were issued some time ago) include:
Vertical pile — 150 of them — issued 07/11/2023
Foundation/partial superstructure — issued 08/14/2023
Full building — issued 09/05/2023

There is a permit pending for the tower crane; as of Tuesday May 21, that permit has not shown up on the City of Chicago’s issued permits page.

Cool look at demolition of the former 1723 South Michigan via Google.
Vertical pile permit issued 07/11/2023
Foundation/superstructure permit issued 08/14/2023
Full building permit issued 09/05/2023

Glass goes up, tower crane comes down, at 633 South LaSalle

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Carl, working high atop the South Loop, taking down the tower crane.

There’s glass, but alas, the tower crane has passed. And so 633 South LaSalle attains a couple milestones of progress.

Friday and Saturday were the crane-removal days, as you can see in Carl’s Instagram video above (give him a LIKE). That’s Central Contractors Service’s rig out there wrapping up the dismantling. As for glass installation, that’s been going on for a couple weeks now.

As a reminder: Q Investment Partners and Melrose Ascension Capital are adding 358 beds (apartments and co-living units) to the South Loop, next to Metra’s LaSalle Street station. As long as all goes to plan from here on out, those beds should be sleep-in-able early in 2025.

Photos were taken on the second day of crane removal, April 6:

The newly-craneless 633 South LaSalle.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

633 South LaSalle has topped out in the South Loop

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Clark Construction’s Instagram announcement that 633 South LaSalle has topped out.

633 South LaSalle has topped out in the South Loop. Clark Construction said so on their Instagram (and Twitter) account Friday afternoon, stating the project had topped out earlier in the week. The 18-story tower will have apartments and co-living spaces.

Congratulations are in order for the entire 633 team, including:

Q Investment Partners – Developer
Melrose Ascension Capital – Developer
Clark Construction – General Contractor
Adjustable Concrete Construction – Concrete Contractor
FitzGerald – Architects
Berkelhamer – Architects

Completion is expected in 2025.

Fear not. 633 South LaSalle is back in action

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633 South LaSalle under bright sunny skies.

If you compare today’s photo gallery with those from our last visit to 633 South LaSalle, you may be a tad taken aback by the elevation change. You’d be forgiven, as this one seemed to go on a brief sabbatical over the winter.

Chicago YIMBY has the story of some new financial arrangements that assure 633 South LaSalle will continue on to completion.

The Team:

Q Investment Partners – Developer
Melrose Ascension Capital – Developer
Clark Construction – General Contractor
Adjustable Concrete Construction – Concrete Contractor
FitzGerald – Architects
Berkelhamer – Architects

The Permits:

Tower crane – issued 03/24/2023
Caissons – issued 04/25/2023
Full building – issued 06/01/2023
Passenger elevators – issued 09/06/2023
Hoist – issued 09/08/2023

The Pics (taken 03/02/2024):

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

Progress Update: 633 South LaSalle

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The 633 South LaSalle construction crane towers over the South Loop.

Some progress photos at 633 South LaSalle, as Clark Construction and Adjustable Concrete Construction continue work on the Berkelhamer-designed 18-story, 117-unit student-living tower in the South Loop.

Enjoying the photos? Metra and CTA rides (and Amtrak trains to Milwaukee), Zipcars, Divvy Bikes, camera lenses, domain fees, snacks & energy drinks, and comfortable walking shoes add up. You can help offset expenses by making a greatly-appreciated donation to Building Up Chicago.

1000M, for the final construction visit?

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1000M stand tall above Grant Park.

The days of watching construction at 1000M are drawing to a close. Just a handful of the top levels remain unglazed. Soon the tower crane will come down and this will look like a finished product while crews work on the interior.

1000M gave us the rare thrill of watching a skyscraper begin twice: first when caisson work got underway, and then again, after a pandemic-induced delay left the site dormant for months and months. The tower crane base that had been planted was removed, it went from condos to apartments, the design was tweaked, and it roared back to life early in 2022.

It’s always weirdly sad to me when a building wraps up construction and there’s nothing to watch anymore, but this one legit tugs at the heartstrings, knowing Helmut Jahn isn’t here to enjoy its completion.

1000M should be open to residents in 2024. And please, if you get one of these apartments, invite me over. I’ll even help you move in, if that’s what it takes.

633 South LaSalle (at long last) puts up a tower crane and rises out of the ground [Corrected]

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This post has been corrected to show Q Investment Partners of Singapore as the developer.

The tower crane at 633 South LaSalle in the South Loop.

633 South LaSalle has avoided a forced vacation to Spireville and is now underway in the Printers Row area of the South Loop. The tower crane is up, the core has gone 3-D, and any and all delays — pandemic-related or otherwise — are a thing of the past. Thrilled and relieved to see this one get going.

This will be an 18-story co-living development, consisting of 117 units and 381 beds. Why co-living in the South Loop? Students. Roosevelt University, Columbia College, DePaul, East-West University, etc. Lots of kids need lots of places to stay.

Tip o’the cap to Chicago Cityscape for letting me know the tower crane was up.

Here are the players at 633 South LaSalle:

Clark Construction is the general contractor.
Adjustable Concrete Construction is the concrete contractor.
Berkelhamer is the design architect.
FitzGerald is the architect of record.
Q Investment Partners is the developer.

Was I hallucinating when it came to old permits here? There were a bunch of them, I swear. But now there are only three on the City of Chicago website:

Tower crane, issued 3/24/2023
Caissons, issued 4/25/2023
Full build, issued 6/1/2023

Here are some pics. Some much more compelling pics than the bare lot I’ve visited in recent months: