A 5-day Tower Crane event at 625 West Adams

Posted on August 16, 2016 by danieldschell

Pictured above is the crew from Central Contractors Service, calmly going about their day from the middle of the sky.

If you didn’t know by now, a tower crane was assembled at 625 West Adams over the past few days. Here now are several thousand photos showing the chronology of that process:

: It all started on Thursday the 11th, when Central brought this giant street crane to 625 West Adams.

: Then crane parts started showing up.

: Crane parts were offloaded…

: …and the Central crew started to piece together the street crane.

: Yada yada yada, and this was what greeted me when I got home Thursday night.

: Friday morning, before the weather turned,

: The cab.

: Friday morning.

: The Central crane, from ground level.

: Tower crane parts everywhere.

: There’s the “spire” that will sit atop the main shaft.

: Waiting in line.

: Saturday morning, and parts are lined up.

: More parts are arriving, even as Central assembles what’s on site already.

: NOPE

: The man platform is lifted into place.

: The cab is secured to the main platform.

: Deadlifts.

: Sunday morning now, and the spire is lifted to the top of the main shaft.

: This is when I got queasy. Well, again.

: My fancy time-lapse set-up.

: The first, shorter piece of the boom starts to rise.

: …and comes in for a landing. It looked like the Space Shuttle docking with ISS.

: The first piece is in place.

: If you don’t notice the cable he’s holding, it looks like he’s dancing. He is *not* dancing.

: Double NOPE.

: Climbing down after a long Sunday shift.

: The crew reassembles Monday morning.

: Monday morning, after the climb. The sky crew’s ready.

: The larger section of the boom is lifted.

: Forrest Gump sits on a bench in the background, oblivious to the action behind him.

: Almost…

: Should you be out there?

: It’s a tower crane!

: Tuesday morning, at full staff.

Quick Look: 3Eleven’s freshly-planted tower crane stub

Posted on August 13, 2016 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/763753646416879617

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:

: Taken quickly, before I could pass out.

Tower Crane Update: 625 West Adams

Posted on August 13, 2016 by danieldschell

There are tower crane parts all over the West Loop today. And you know what? It’s fantastic.

Crews continue assembly of the giant yellow Liebherr 542 HC-L 18-36 Litronic (I can read permits) at 625 West Adams.

: NOPE

: More parts on the way, even as present parts are being put together.

Quick Look: Tower crane assemblage at 625 West Adams

Posted on August 12, 2016 by danieldschell

This massive street crane was the first piece of equipment on hand for the tower crane assembly.

Most construction companies will tell you they have their own schedules to keep, unaffected by outside influences. That’s okay. I’m still going to pretend I’m responsible for getting the tower crane on site at 625 West Adams.

Parts began arriving Thursday, and crews immediately got to work putting them together. It looks like weather may slow things down today.

: The Central crane stands at the ready.

: The first truck with crane parts arrives.

: Those are paw pads for the street crane.

: This is what greeted me upon my return Thursday night.

: Same shot, more light, Friday morning.

: Friday morning crane meeting.

: The cab waits patiently on Desplaines…

: …and then backs into the lot.

: Cab assembly started as soon as it hit the ground.

Tower Crane Update: One up, one to go, for Simpson-Querrey

Posted on August 4, 2016 by danieldschell

A crane grows up in Streeterville. A red crane up in Streeterville. (Apologies to Ben E. King)

You remember that tower crane bulb planted at Northwestern University’s Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine from a couple weeks ago, right? Well, that has bloomed into a beautiful crane butterfly. Of sorts. But before you wander off aimlessly looking for more crane photo ops, bear in mind there will be another tower crane on this construction site. Though I’m told that likely won’t appear until the end of August at the earliest.

In the meantime, the foundation dig continues, particularly at that south end, where Crane #2 will rise from the earth. But for now, one is reason enough to snap off another round of pictures.

: North end: tower crane.

: South end: no tower crane. Yet.

Chicago’s new Apple flagship store plants a tower crane in Pioneer Court

Posted on August 3, 2016 by danieldschell

I should have waited one more day to post about the new Apple flagship store on the Magnificent Mile. Now, for one of the best possible reasons, I have to take you to 401 North Michigan Avenue for the second day in a row: Chicago’s new Apple store has a tower crane stub!

Power Construction, contractors general (is that a thing) for the new gadget haven, anchored the first section into the ground today. And as luck would have it, I was in the very same neighborhood today. Crazy, right?

: You see it, right? Waaaaaay over there?

: Soon, Apple will be able to use their tower crane to pluck kayakers from the Chicago River. Like an iDock.

: Tight quarters.

Quick Look: Atrium Village (almost) has a tower crane

Posted on August 2, 2016 by danieldschell

Here, through a scratched, filthy CTA window, is the Atrium Village tower crane.

I did what I could from a fast-moving Brown Line train Tuesday evening to capture an image or two of the tower crane being set up at Atrium Village in the Near North neighborhood. That’s where Onni Group is building a 31-story apartment tower designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architects.

That’s one of the two tower cranes at The Sinclair in the background.

Tower Crane Update: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Posted on July 20, 2016 by danieldschell

McHugh Construction’s Morrow tower crane rises in the distance.

‘Tis time for another installment of the three tower crane updates from early July, when three stubs were anchored into the ground around Chicago. Monday, the DePaul School of Music got all the attention. Yesterday, 8 East Huron. Today, it’s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse at 822 North Clark Street in Near North.

This is another of those pretty yellow Morrow cranes. They’re like sunshine on a cloudy day.

: The 822 North Clark tower crane, dwarfed by the 833 crane. Which is unfair, because that’s a 31-story tower.

Tower Crane Update: 8 East Huron

Posted on July 19, 2016 by danieldschell

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.

: The stub.

: This looks like a scene form Charlie & The Chocolate Factory to me.

: The crane-building crane.

: None of these men are in danger of losing their jobs to me.

: East Huron was closed for the festivities, between State and Wabash.

: Piecing the cab together.

: Lifting crane parts off a truck.

: Staging equipment on East Huron Street.

: The cab.

: Preparing for lift-off.

: Artsy.

: Looking down State Street.

: Monday morning finishing work.

: Monday morning, and the tower crane is almost ready for use.

Tower Crane Update: DePaul School of Music

Posted on July 18, 2016 by danieldschell

In the first week of July, three tower cranes were planted around Chicago. My job was to go find them. Then, it was my duty to follow up on them. Because no one wants part of the story. Or part of the tower crane, for that matter.

Our first update is at the DePaul School of Music. Warning: Don’t get too close to this one, or it won’t fit in your photo. This won’t be a tall undertaking, but it’s a big lot. And a tower crane needs to reach every corner of that lot. So this one is as long as any I’ve seen.

: I thought the best way to get the whole thing into one shot was an iPhone panorama. I was mistaken. If your tower crane looks like this, start over.