We lost our third tower crane of August last week, as the Golden Lifter Of Heavy Things was dismantled and hauled away at One Six Six (166 N Aberdeen). It joins 160 North Elizabeth and 853 West Blackhawk (Big Deahl) in the history books. We thank them all for their service.
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.
I’m not upset the pretty lights in the sky at Big Deahl are gone; I’m upset the tower crane at Common Lincoln Park holding the pretty lights at Big Deahl is gone. Alas, lots of good things come to an end. It’s at least nice to see lots of windows on The Seng.
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.
20-ish. About 20. ~20. Something like that. I haven’t had time to get around town and see two of our cranes for myself, but I’ve concrete (heh) evidence of the Obama Center’s third crane, and I’m comfortable assuming the 4445 W Irving Park crane is still there.
Since counting, but not posting, 21 at the start of July, we’ve lost 354 North Union. That means no cranes were erected in July, which sounds wrong, but I don’t think I’m missing any. 311 West Huron, 150 North Ashland, and 741 North Wells are all permitted but not planted yet.
Here they are, going north to south for this edition:
4445 W Irving Park3501 N Halsted853 W Blackhawk & 1475 N Kingsbury (The Big Deahl Phase II)920 N Wells808 N Cleveland (The 808 Cleveland)751 N Hudson (HUGO)166 N Aberdeen164 N Peoria (900 Randolph)160 N Morgan160 N Elizabeth 732 W Randolph21 N May (Embry)1044 W Van Buren234 W Polk (The Reed)1000 S Michigan (1000M)1400 S WabashThe Obama Presidential Center, image courtesy of Lakeside Alliance on Linkedin
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.
Not only is the tower crane up at 920 North Wells, but there’s construction fencing up in the next block south on Wells Street. Call it 868 North Wells or 210 West Chestnut, but you better call it soon, because that fence means demolition is imminent for the former Irwin A Moon building on the Moody Bible Institute campus. Demolishing it will make room for 878 North Wells, the 25-story, 428-unit second tower on JDL Development’s North Union agenda. All we need do now is watch for the demo permit.
Tower crane enthusiasts are salivating.
Today’s gallery is a two-fer. You get to see 920’s brand-spankin’-new tower crane, and you get a few shots thrown in of 868 before its demise. Sorry I wasn’t patient enough to wait for the sun to show up. Enjoy.
From the LFrom the L (return trip)
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.
The Embry tower crane stub. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.
The tower crane has been planted, and planted deep, at Embry in the West Loop. So deep, in fact, that I not been tipped off to the first segment being delivered (Thanks, @jrock1449!) I might have walked past the site without noticing it.
Okay, that’s ridiculous. I definitely would have still peered through the fence to see what was going on. But the crane really is planted deep in the ground, so the top base section sits below the height of the construction fence.
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.
Like an injured center, it was tall but unable to play. But this past weekend, the rest of the tower crane went up at 732 West Randolph. I included it in the June survey, since the tower had been erected.
Check out a few shots of people in high places who need not worry about me coming for their jobs:
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.
The way 920 North Wells keeps crashing through milestones, I’m worried if I blink, it’ll be done. Its latest trick is planting the tower crane stub, which was permitted May 17. Keep an eye out, as it’s likely, the way things are going, for the tower crane to be completely erected by the end of this week.
In the meantime, have a whole mess o’ photos of a tower crane base at a construction site. (iPhones come in handy for peeking over fences)
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.
How cool is this crane at The Seng/Common Lincoln Park?!
I should have known this sooner so I could make a Big Deahl out of it.
This is my apology to Power Construction, Structured Development, GREC Architects, and everyone else affiliated with construction on The Seng and Common Lincoln Park. While I was bemoaning only having one lighted tower crane in Chicago, we actually had two of them. This one at 853 West Blackhawk being the second one.
I’ll get more photos of it ASAP, but in the meantime, I’m sorry, all. This sucker is cool, and I missed it. Once I’m forgiven, I’ll ask about lighting up the other Big Deahl crane at 1475 North Kingsbury… (too soon? pushing my luck?)
One of you up there in those existing towers should have turned me on to this. Shame. Shout-out to Jimmy Freer for clueing me in on Facebook.
The first two of three tower cranes at the Obama Presidential Center.
Chicago has 19 active tower cranes in the sky to begin the month of June, 2022, as of the end of Memorial Day weekend. The variable here is 513 South Damen. The crane was still up Sunday, but the tower has been topped out, and it’s *slightly* possible it has started its descent before June 1. But it’s being included in the count as “active.”
Okay, *two* variables. 732 West Randolph wasn’t completely erected as of Sunday, but we’re counting that one as a June crane.
Where are the cranes?
West Loop – 6 South Loop – 3 Near North – 3 Woodlawn – 2 Five “neighborhoods” have one crane each: Illinois Medical District (513 South Damen); Fulton River District (354 North Union); Lake View (3501 North Halsted); River North (HUGO); Irving Park (4445 W Irving Park)
What are they building?
Residential – 14(wow) Medical – 2 Cultural Institutions – 2 Office – 1 (732 West Randolph)
How many cranes are lit up at night?
Just one: 354 North Union
This month, we’re starting up north and heading south:
4445 West Irving Park3501 North Halsted1475 North Kingsbury and 853 West Blackhawk (Big Deahl)808 North Cleveland751 North Hudson (HUGO)354 North Union166 North Aberdeen164 North Peoria (900 Randolph)160 North Elizabeth160 North Morgan732 West Randolph1044 West Van Buren513 South Damen234 West Polk (The Reed at Southbank)1000 South Michigan (1000M)1400 South Wabash6001 South Stony Island (The Obama Presidential Center)
As always, the Building Up Chicago Tower Crane Survey is not a scientific poll. If I’ve missed any, hit me up. And if you know of a tower crane out in the ‘burbs, let me know about those too. I hope to get to the outskirts some time soon.
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.
Power Construction and Central Contractors Service were out in the elements (it was a beautiful day) Thursday erecting the second tower crane at the Big Deahl development. While the first crane builds The Seng and Common Lincoln Park, this second rig will handle the taller task of 1475 North Kingsbury.
Dedicated crane chaser that I am, I stopped by here twice on Thursday to supervise things. As an added bonus, I have a few progress shots of The Seng and Common Lincoln Park too.
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.
Building Up Chicago 