Controversial Logan Square Building Gets Construction Permit
A new apartment building is coming to Logan Square, filling a long-standing gap in the Milwaukee Avenue streetwall. 1980 North Milwaukee was granted foundation permits earlier this year, and just recently received approval to go the full monty. When complete, it will have 132 residences across seven floors. The total building height will be 96 feet, which may help deaden the sound of the adjacent passing CTA Blue Line L trains for...
Another Residential Building Hugs The Kennedy
Visually, it’s not the most interesting new building in Chicago, but soon a dozen or so people will call it home. 880 North Milwaukee Avenue is the latest in a series of new developments recently approved by the city along the bustling, and sometimes confusing, corridor between Bucktown and Downtown. In the last decade, as the city’s demographics, ward boundaries, and notions about private car use have changed, this...
Obama Center Clarifies Its Plaisance Park Parking Plan
The Obama Foundation has revealed its plans for a chunk of the Midway Plaisance across the street from the new Barack Obama Presidential Center. It wants to use the tree-lined open lawn for a parking garage and transit center. The Obama Foundation describes the public open parkland as “underutilized,” which is kind of the point of open parkland. In modern landscaping terms, the space will be “activated” with...
Another Vintage Loop Office Building Goes Residential, Gets Taller
Almost exactly a year after Crain’s Chicago Business speculated it might happen, the Insurance Center Building (330 South Wells Street) is flipping from office to residential use. The 16-story building was purchased a year ago by a unit of Marc Capital Realty for $10 million. But it won’t stay 16-stories for long. The City of Chicago has approved plans to add a 17th floor onto the building. This will serve as common...
At Wolf Point, the The Caissons Go Rolling Along
The oh-so-familiar drone of the caisson drill has returned to Wolf Point with a vengeance. After the triumphant completion of Wolf Point West, River Point, and 150 North Riverside there was a temporary quieting in the construction-day cacophony that for the last two years has bounced off the skyscrapers lining the Chicago River. But that’s all past now that Pelli Clark Pelli’s Wolf Point East (313 West Wolf Point Plaza)...
Vista Tower Comes Into View
The Vista Tower (363 East Wacker Drive) — one of Chicago’s near-future showcase pieces — is rising quickly along the main branch of the Chicago River. So quickly that it’s already visible to passing tour boats. These pictures from Joe Zekas at YoChicago! show not only the Studio Gang-designed building going up, but also the column-free area in the center, where East Upper Wacker Drive will finally be connected to North...
Pics and Video of the University Club’s Michigan Avenue Expansion
One of Chicago’s oldest and most respected organizations is going to soon have a rooftop hang-out to let down its hair. The University Club of Chicago is getting ready to unveil its expanded headquarters at 76 East Monroe Street. The organization has been busy building into and onto its neighboring building cluster, known as the Gage Group. It popped off the seventh floor roof at 30 South Michigan to make it taller, and added...
Old Town Park Erasing Atrium Village
It looks like we could soon see a second tower rising at Old Town Park, the Old Town-adjacent development by Canuck company Onni Group that’s slowly erasing the venerable, if time-worn, Atrium Village. In the photo above sent in by Joe Zekas of YoChicago!, you can see the steel skeleton of the first building (known cleverly as Building 1) is up to the 25th story of its eventual 32 story height. The next phase will be a 31-story...
No. 9 Walton Getting Yet Another Height Boost — And More
It might be time for the construction barriers surrounding No.9 Walton (9 West Walton Street) to be re-painted with the slogan “Here we grow again!” For the third time since it was first approved by the city, the skyscraper is going to get taller. Back in 2006, when toner first fused to paper on this project, it was going to be a respectable addition to the corner of State and Walton, joining its little sister Walton on...
One Bennett Park About to Eclipse 500LSD
We just can’t get enough of One Bennett Park, the Related Midwest luxury tower that’s bringing a taste of Gotham to Streeterville. Fortunately, we don’t need ISO 12312-2 certified eyewear to gaze upon this star of downtown Chicago’s construction solar system. Joe Zekas of YoChicago! sent in the drool-worthy photograph above showing the Robert A.M. Stern joint is about to eclipse its next-door neighbor, 500 Lake...