Way back in April (this one fell through the cracks, sorry, we’re terrible people), Chicagoan Sawyer Morgenthaler turned seven years old. Having a birthday during the COVID-19 lockdown is bad enough. But since Master Morgenthaler lives in the South Loop, he couldn’t be treated to the celebratory suburban drive-by birthday parades that we see on the local TV news all the time.
Still, young Sawyer didn’t have go to bed on nothing but a slice of cake and crushed spirits. His day ended splendidly because of construction workers next door at 1000M.
Sawyer’s mom dropped a dime to the developers of what will eventually be a 74-story residential tower at 1000 South Michigan Avenue, and that message got passed on to McHugh Construction, which hung a 12-foot-tall “Happy Birthday Sawyer” banner from the roof of a nearby building so he could see it. McHugh also sent over a hardhat and an orange safety vest.
The seven-year-old has been a long-time fan of the Helmut Jahn-designed building, watching 1000M climb into the sky with all the enthusiasm you’d expect from a grade schooler with a balcony that looks out onto heavy machinery.
We note that the ID badge that came with his vest indicates that Sawyer is a foreman. Perhaps a bit of foreshadowing?
Location: 1000 South Michigan Avenue, South Loop
Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at chicagoarchitectureinfo@gmail.com.
