The first permit has been issued for Cassidy on Canal, the 33-story apartment tower from The Habitat Company, and crews are on site ready to drill into the earth. I’m told caissons aren’t quite ready to go into the ground just yet, but you can see rebar cages being prepped, so they’ll be ready when shafts start drilling. That process is expected to begin Monday.
I learned some fascinating things this week about those old freight tunnels running under the city, including this site. Caissons can be drilled through the tunnels, but not until the tunnels themselves are filled. Bulkheads are framed and filled at each end of the tunnel, and then the entire tunnel is filled with grout. (It’s a lot of grout.) Once the grout sets, then the caissons can be drilled & filled.
Anyway, that’s what Stalworth Underground is up to. I guess when you put the word “Underground” in your name, you’re prepared for anything and everything that pops up beneath the surface.
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The City of Chicago issued a foundation permit Wednesday for 350 North Canal. That means The Habitat Company’s plan for apartments on the lot where Cassidy Tire once stood is ready to roll. An empty lot, a clean slate, at the beginning of the month, McHugh Construction and McHugh Concrete can begin laying the groundwork for the 33-story, SCB-designed tower. Stalworth Underground will assist with caisson work.
The permit indicates 343 apartments, 123 parking spaces for cars (no below-grade parking here. There will be a parking podium on levels 2-4) and 185 bicycle spaces. I’ll be staring at the permit site, waiting for the tower crane to arrive.
August 31August 31Gone, but not forgotten. The Permit.
741 North Wells will be a 178-unit apartment tower. It was designed by Antunovich Associates Architects, and according to their website, will offer a mix of 70 studios, 68 one-bedroom, and 40 two-bedroom units, with “a full complement of amenities including a rooftop terrace with pool, meeting facilities, exercise area, bicycle storage, and parking for roughly 50 vehicles.” There will also be about 9.400 square feet of street-level retail space.
The City of Chicago issued permits for: The full build on 8/25/2022 Caissons and foundation on 7/19/2002 The tower crane on 6/22/2022 Demo permits for 739 N Wells and 745 N Wells on 5/12/22
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The recent concrete strike claimed 311 West Huron as a victim. But only temporarily. And with that in the past, caissons are underway, and underground.
The full permit for 311 was issued on 6/27/2022, with the tower crane permit following on 7/20/2022.
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That’s what you need to do sometimes. Let me explain.
Ever since Sterling Bay started tearing up the surface parking lot at Green and Kinzie Streets in the Fulton Market District, I’ve been trying to get up close enough to get a good view of what’s going on. But fences, my own personal lack of elevation, and a deep sense pf respect for the working man’s personal space hasn’t allowed for much spectatorship. So I backed off. And voila! An excellent view.
Sterling Bay and Power Construction are building 360 North Green here, a 24-story, 500,000-square-foot office tower designed by Gensler. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the building will include 5,400 square feet of retail space at ground level, parking for 92 cars on the second and third floors, a fourth-floor amenity suite including 5,000 square feet of outdoor space, a fitness studio, lounge, game room, and bar. Geez, I want to live here.
From Sterling Bay’s digital brochure, a rendering of the fourth-floor outdoor space. Wow.
Mostly from a distance, here are some caisson progress shots, as Power and Stalworth Underground get started on 360 North Green, taken August 17. Thank you, Halsted Street.
A permit was issued May 23rd for a five-story “inpatient hospital building” at 516 South Loomis. Earlier anticipation of this project may show an address of 1400 West Harrison. Either way, this is the place. Rush is developing the hospital along with Select Medical.
This is what Rush had to say in a news release for the groundbreaking:
Select Medical and Rush University System for Health held a ceremonial ground-breaking to celebrate the new RUSH Specialty Hospital being built on Chicago’s West Side.
The 100-bed facility will be a combined critical illness recovery and inpatient rehabilitation hospital on the RUSH University Medical Center campus. The hospital is slated to open in 2024 and will feature 44 critical illness recovery and 56 inpatient rehabilitation beds.
“It is the beginning of what will be excellent care for our community,” said RUSH CEO Dr. K. Ranga Rama Krishnan.
To celebrate the construction of the future hospital, RUSH and Select Medical executives were joined by local leaders, including 28th Ward Alderman Jason C. Ervin and Illinois state Rep. Lakesia Collins.
“It’s a phenomenal partnership that speaks to innovation and brings patients the care they need when, where and how they need it,” said RUSH University Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Omar Lateef.
Together as partners, Select Medical and RUSH are delivering a world-class acute to post-acute continuum of care for Chicagoans.
“The promise of excellence is often achieved through our joint ventures,” said Tom Mullin, executive vice president of hospital operations for Select Medical.
In addition to the new RUSH Specialty Hospital, Select Medical contributed 63 of its outpatient centers to the joint venture. Today, those locations are rebranded RUSH Physical Therapy, and the footprint has expanded to 71 centers, including 19 dedicated to pediatrics under the RUSH Kids Physical Therapy brand.
Power Construction is the general contractor, with assistance on concrete from Adjustable Concrete Construction. Stalworth Underground rigs are on site drilling caissons. Like I said, this is a very busy two-block area, with the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Building nearing completion, along with its adjoining parking garage. The photos below include all three projects.
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It took <check’s sun dial> less than two weeks for Power Construction and Stalworth Underground to get caissons drilled at 920 North Wells. I’ve left dirty dishes in the sink for longer than that. Regularly. But there’s no time to be wasted on JDL Development’s latest endeavor, the North Union mega project, so it’s out with caisson equipment, and in with the earth movers. They’ve got a foundation to dig out, not just for the building, but also for the tower crane, and Manitowoc MD485 to be precise, which received a foundation permit of its own on Tuesday, May 17.
Since I once again fell asleep on the job, the following gallery includes photos of caisson work taken May 12, and post-caisson work taken May 19.
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JDL announced via Instagram Stories Wednesday evening that a caisson permit had been issued that day (along with word that One Chicago had reached full occupancy, so big CONGRATS on that) and here we are Thursday morning, with the city’s permit site showing the permit for caissons under a 21-story tower, and the first two caissons being bored.
We’re going to enjoy 920 North Wells for now, but North Union will be overstimulating construction nerds for a long, long time. So get the lawn chair and cooler out of the garage, pack some snacks, and let’s go!
Oh, I almost forgot….I took pictures!
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The tower crane is gone, but work hasn’t skipped a beat at 345 North Morgan in the Fulton Market District.
Sterling Bay’s latest boutique office building is installing windows on what is shaping up to be my favorite new building for nighttime views. And I say that having only been there on sunny days. But mark my words; this is one of those sites you’ll want to get to just as it gets dark at night with the interior lights shining brightly.
345 North Morgan is a ten-story, 200,000-square-foot office building designed by Chicago’s own Eckenhoff SaundersSkender is the general contractor. Their task, along with Adjustable Concrete Construction on concrete, is to have this office building ready for tenants before we close the door on 2022.
The old 345 North Morgan, taken from the original B.U.C. HQ in the West Loop. Demolition wrapping up, December 16, 2019. Stalworth Underground doing caisson work, 08/31/2021
It wasn’t until I looked up the permit history that I remembered 345 having a little trouble getting started. Of course, over the past 24 months, who among us *hasn’t* had a little trouble getting started. The old paint store at 345 North Morgan got a demolition permit on December 5 of 2019. (I still have an unfinished draft that I started in January of 2020.) The foundation permit for the new building was next, issued March 12, 2020. But then things went idle for awhile before caisson work began in August of last summer. The full build permit was issued in June of 2021, and the tower crane was permitted on September 3. And here we are.
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Tuesday, right here in this very space, I pointed out the verticality Onni Group was achieving at 354 North Union despite not having the tower crane in place yet. Perhaps I could have waited two more days . . .
This will be the 11th tower crane in Chicago if it’s fully erected before any of the topped-out projects (Parq Fulton, Evo Union Park, One Chicago, UI Health) take theirs down.
Building Up Chicago 