A 727’s View of 727 West Madison
Ok, maybe Joe Zekas at YoChicago! didn’t fire up an actual Boeing 727 to take these photos. But Air Joe One is close enough, and from the sky we get a pretty good idea of how 727 West Madison is shaping up. The answer is: “nicely.” 727 topped out a couple of weeks ago and the good people over at FitzGerald Associates sent over a description of what they were thinking when they put together the sexy beast of a...
New Greektown Tower Puts the O in Opa!
Move over simit, the next big round thing to hit Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood is about to sprout on the corner of Madison and Halsted. 727 West Madison has been given its full building permit from the City of Chicago. Construction crews may now build Fifield and F&F Realty their full 45-story skyscraper in all its circular glory. A prominent location on the edge of the Kennedy Expressway along the city’s east-west...
Groundbreaking For New Landmark Greektown Skyscraper
If you’ve been pining for a new, round-shaped skyscraper in downtown Chicago, then we have good news for you. The cylindrical tower formerly known as 1 South Halsted is officially under construction. Groundbreaking ceremonies were recently held for what is now being called 727 West Madison, the 44-story FitzGerald Associates design which features a round vertical shaft rising from a parking podium in the soon-to-be-former Crowne...
New Apartment Tower Says Opa! to Greektown
The row of mid-height buildings that line the western side of Halsted Street in Greektown is going to get its southern end filled in finally. The city of Chicago has issued a permit for a new 12-story building at 808 West Van Buren Street. THE FOUNDATION PERMIT SCOPE WILL INCLUDE THE FOUNDATION CAISSONS AND GRADE BEAMS, THE LOWER LEVEL MEPFP SPACES AND STORM WATER RETENTION TANK, THE GROUND LEVEL RESIDENTIAL ENTRY LOBBY, RETAIL,...
Another New Building to Line the Ike Expressway
One of the long-term urban development goals for Chicago is to line its motorized arteries with tall and tallish buildings in order to isolate the highways from the neighborhoods they serve. The buildings deflect noise, exhaust, and the general unpleasantness that our 70-year-long obsession with the automobile has brought to our front doorsteps. Another one of the gaps along a downtown highway is about to be filled in. There’s a...
Crews Caught Planting Skyscraper Seeds at 1 South Halsted
Downstate farmers finished planting their crops months ago. But in downtown Chicago, every season is skyscraper season. And it was Greektown Spy Ryan who dropped a dime on our Tip Line when he saw the special crews required to plant skyscraper seeds were busy at work at 1 South Halsted yesterday. Of course, there are no such thing as skyscraper seeds. And what Ryan shared with us is a picture of soil sampling crews getting an idea...
1 South Halsted: Drill, Baby, Drill!
It is perhaps Greektown’s most anticipated skyscraper since Skybridge. One South Halsted is one of the few West Loop-area tower proposals that hasn’t been met with blind fanatical hatred by unhinged local NIMBYs. In fact, its design has made it a favorite, and one of the buildings we most often receive e-mail about asking, “Is it going up yet? How about now? How about now? What about now?” Well, the answer...
One South Halsted: Greektown’s Unbuilt Column
Recently we sat down with the principals at FitzGerald Associates to talk about a lot of things. Naturally, one of the items that came up was the firm’s much-anticipated One South Halsted project. The 46-story cylindrical tower was approved by the city a little over three years ago, and since then… nothing. Until Michael De Rouin told us, “It may finally be starting to move forward here. We’ll see.” Editor:...
Residents Begin Entering West Loop Through The Gateway
We’ve been watching rooftop construction at the new Gateway West Loop (11 South Green Street) with great interest for the last couple weeks. Normally, roofs don’t catch the eye, especially in an unfinished state. But from high atop our West Loop bureau, we’ve been able to observe first-hand as Gateway’s amenities floor takes shape. Curious, we wandered across the Kennedy Expressway for a closer look....
Whole Foods West Loop Opens With Greek Influenced Design Touches
The West Loop today welcomed its newest anchor store—a 42,000 square foot Whole Foods at 1 North Halsted. It’s the third of seven new Whole Foods markets scheduled to open in Chicago this year. It also marks the reopening of the ground level space of Skybridge where Dominick’s was the previous tenant. Premium grocery stores tend to each have common design elements—like Treasure Island’s “we are the world” flag motif. Whole Foods...
