Construction Update: 171 Aberdeen builds a foundation

Posted on August 10, 2016 by danieldschell

The non-tower crane (for now) at 171 Aberdeen casts a long shadow as morning work gets underway.

The Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed 171 Aberdeen is having some foundation work done courtesy of Novak Construction, even without the benefit (yet) of the almighty tower crane. The new mixed-use project from MCZ Development (click that link. MCZ has a wonderful video introducing their building) will have 75 luxury apartments, 15,000 square feet of retail, and 40,000 square feet of office space. Plus 130 or so parking spaces to accommodate residents, shoppers, diners, and commuters.

: A render of 171 Aberdeen from MCZ Development.

: And my attempt to recreate that rendering. Without the unbuilt building, obviously.

: July’s caisson work, from the L.

: This is how you mark a photo so you don’t forget where you took it.

Will 625 West Adams ever finish my tower crane?

Posted on August 9, 2016 by danieldschell

Last night, I put instant coffee in the microwave, and almost went back in time.” Steven Wright

I’m guessing Steven Wright was not a patient man. I, on the other hand, have unlimited patience. To a point.

Power Construction is getting a lot done on the lot at 625 West Adams Street in the West Loop. But I’ll be darned if I don’t find myself looking out the window every morning and wishing I could put an instant tower crane in the microwave. Or something. To be honest, it’s not really *my* tower crane. At all.

In the meantime, take a look at what’s been done to this point on 625 West Adams, the new SCB-designed 20-story office tower from CA Ventures and White Oak Realty.

: Is it just me, or does that tower crane stub still look kinda stubby?

: Another maze.

: Instead of one big building…

: …it looks like a series of smaller projects…

: …that will all meld together into one office tower.

: The 625 West Adams site.

: Still lots of rebar.

There’s still construction to watch at River Point

Posted on August 9, 2016 by danieldschell

But it helps if you keep your eyes down, instead of up.

There’s a small corner of open space left above the arch.

Yes, there’s still a tiny bit of cladding left to install at the very top of the west-facing side of River Point, and there’s a construction elevator to finish removing. Then all that glass where is used to be will need to be filled in.

Of course, there’s a ton of work to be done inside River Point. But only a chosen few will get to see that process. Which leaves the rest of us to watch the plaza out in front of the tower, along the Chicago River.

Designed by The Office of James Burnett, the one-and-a-half-acre park will sit 35 feet above the river, with fantastic views of the Main and South branches.

: Lendlease dismantles the construction elevator from the west face of River Point.

: River Point Plaza, from the L.

: Construction continues on the plaza in front of River Point.

: A passing architecture cruise reflected in the River Point arch.

Byrne Flyover Update: The Halsted bridge is almost bridged

Posted on August 8, 2016 by danieldschell

A new section of ramp added to the east of the section just added to the west. Or something.

It was a busy weekend for McHugh Construction and the giant red Stevenson crane (we call it “Steve” around here) at the Jane Byrne Flyover. One more section of girders was added west of the Halsted Street bridge, leaving a void only the width of Halsted Street to be spanned. If you’ve got a jumping bus like Sandra Bullock drove in Speed, go ahead and see if you can shoot the gap. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for one more weekend of work. But don’t forget, there’s no ramp to the ground on the west end of the Flyover yet, either, so check your brakes.

: Steve still seems pretty jacked up from the weekend’s excitement.

: Ramp and skyline, courtesy of the great city of Chicago.

Demolition Update: Even Oprah’s watching the Harpo Studios demo

Posted on August 6, 2016 by danieldschell

https://twitter.com/Oprah/status/758416437375492096

She reached countless millions of people through the work she did here. It’s no wonder Oprah Winfrey feels the sadness of watching Harpo Studios torn to the ground.

Heneghan Wrecking has been on the job for a couple weeks now, and more of the old studio disappears every day. The portion being leveled now looks like it could have been the main studio. The sign says Studio 2. Being completely unfamiliar with the layout, I have no idea. I just know it’s television history being canceled.

: We’re just starting to see signs of the demolition from the BuildingUpChicago office.

: Studio 2

Sterling Bay sampling soil at 210 North Carpenter

Posted on August 5, 2016 by danieldschell

A soil sampling rig at 210 North Carpenter.

Sterling Bay has plans to develop property alongside the L tracks on Lake Street in the West Loop. Situated between Carpenter and Aberdeen Streets, Sterling Bay’s rendering of 210 North Carpenter shows a 13-story building that will practically kiss passing Pink and Green Line trains.

According to its website, Sterling Bay would like to have 210 North Carpenter ready for use late in 2017 or early 2018. And with a soil sampling rig on site this week, it’s very possible ground could be broken any day now. Of course, we still have to wait for a permit to be filed before construction can begin.

A Sterling Bay render of 210 North Carpenter

The soil sampling rig, sampling soil.

This fancy Google Map shows the location of 210 North Carpenter.

Jane Byrne Flyover throws a curve. Actually, another curve.

Posted on August 1, 2016 by danieldschell

A new section of the Jane Byrne Flyover takes shape on the west side of the Halsted Street bridge.

Connecting traffic from the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway, the Jane Byrne Flyover has been entertaining scores of bloggers with windows in direct view of the action for months as it curves over top of the Circle Interchange. But lest anyone get complacent, McHugh Construction threw us for a loop (heh) last week.

https://twitter.com/BuildUpChicago/status/758479988224102400

As we stared out our windows waiting for the next girders (I was told to say “girders” instead of “beams.” I know that may be technically correct, but “Girder me up, Scotty!” and “Girder there, done that” just don’t work) to be placed over top of Halsted Street, there suddenly appeared more beams (old habits) from the west. I like it. Shake things up a little.

So guess what I did? Yep, I went down there and snapped a few shots. Here ya go:

: You see, I expected to see new girders here…

: …here…

: …here…

: …but I got them here…

: …here…

: …here…

: Skyline. Cranes. Bridgework. You got it all.

: Uhhh, a couple of these are bent.

: Steve.

: Hey Steve!

Uncertain Nobu Hotel project broke ground, and now they’re…testing it?

Posted on July 30, 2016 by danieldschell

There’s a soil sampling rig on the site of the Nobu Hotel, more than a month after ground-breaking ceremonies.

In movie-industry terms, the Robert De Niro-led Nobu Hotel planned for the West Loop could be in a production delay. It seems the film has been cast, and it looks like the plot will stay relatively true to the original screenplay. But there’s some doubt as to the length of the movie now. (I’ll let DNAInfo explain that.) Which, of course, could affect budget.

What I do know for sure is there are no permits in place for construction to begin at Nobu, other than a pseudo-demo permit to remove an old foundation from the site. And there was a soil sampling rig on the Nobu site at 846 West Randolph Street this week. That’s not terribly unusual to see at an active construction site, but it still feels odd when a big deal was made of the ground-breaking ceremony.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’d wait to buy your popcorn before seeing this De Niro production. It might get cold before the movie starts.

165 North Desplaines is in the Crane Game

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

It’s here! 165 North Desplaines fully assembled its tower crane today.

If you’re on my list of having a tower crane permit, but you still haven’t erected your tower crane yet, please step forward.

Hey, not so fast, 165 North Desplaines.

Yep, it’s up. Today, and maybe parts of yesterday, crews in the West Loop assembled a tower crane over top of North Desplaines Street. As you can’t quite tell from the photo above, it extends out over Randolph Street. Not that it will be lifting things that way, but it needs the reach to cover the lot from Desplaines east to Jefferson.

And now, I bring you A Tower Crane From Every Angle:

W.E. O’Neil begins construction on Plumbers Local 130 Training Center

Posted on July 28, 2016 by danieldschell

Demolition of the old Plumbing Industry Center in May.

First, it was what looked like a fairly nice building. Then, it was a hole in the ground. Now, there’s stuff going on in that hole. And it’s construction.

After breaking ground at 1400 West Washington Boulevard on June 28th, W.E. O’Neil is rolling on the new Plumbers Local 130 Training Center. The 3-story, 50,000-square-foot building in the West Loop will facilitate the education of journeymen and apprentice plumbers from all around Chicago.

Designed by Gensler, the project got underway with an April demolition permit for the old Plumbing Industry Center, followed by the new construction permit issued June 21st. It’s expected by this time next year, the training center will be complete.