All great Chicago skyscrapers start with humble beginnings. And One Chicago Square has humbly begun in the parking lot of Holy Name Cathedral.
Gold Coast Spy Tom sent in the photograph above showing soil sampling in the parking lot that will have a 1,045-foot-tall skyscraper in it by 2022.
Even though soil sampling crews extract dirt from beneath the surface, we like to think of them as planting the seeds of a skyscraper. They don’t actually plant anything physical, but they do sow the seeds of hope and anticipation in skyscraper nerds across the city.
When complete, One Chicago will have a 76-story, and a 49-story residential tower atop a retail and parking podium. If it was completed today, it would be the fifth-tallest building in Chicago. But by the time it debuts, there will be other buildings pushing it down the list.
The Sterling Bay and JDL Development project will be 869 new homes to the neighborhood.
Location: 740 North State Street, Gold Coast