Building NEMA: A Day in the Life of a Chicago Skyscraper Construction Worker
If you’ve been following the construction of NEMA Chicago (formerly One Grant Park, formerly 113 East Roosevelt), or any other skyscraper under construction in Chicago, you’ve probably wondered what it’s like “up there.” Open House Chicago notwithstanding, few people get to go up to the top of the city’s skyscrapers. Even fewer get to do it while the structures are still under construction. Joe...
A Look at the Plans for the Tribune Tower Redevelopment
In a matter of weeks, the Tribune Tower will become just another chapter in the Chicago Tribune’s proud 171 year history, as parent company Tronc uproots Chicagoland’s paper of record from its home of nearly a century. With the Trib decamps for Prudential Plaza across the river, Los Angelino developer CIM Group can begin work turning the beloved landmark into 163 swishy condominiums for Chicagoans with thicker wallets...
Gasp-Worthy Proposal Unveiled for Chicago’s Second-Tallest Skyscraper
As the kids say these days: “Oh. My. God.” That was the reaction — positive and negative — to the proposed new skyscraper unveiled tonight at a public meeting at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Development duo CIM Group and Golub & Co. pulled the sheet off of a stunning new skyscraper proposal that, at 1,422 feet, would be the second-tallest building in Chicago. It’s planned for the surface parking lot behind the...
We’ll Soon See Michigan Avenue’s Huge New Skyscraper
Remember a few months ago when Alderman Reilly knocked over a pot of beans about the new skyscraper coming to Michigan Avenue? Back then, all we knew was that the planned building could be as much as 1,388 feet tall, making it the third-tallest in Chicago. And at the time, we put together a graphic illustrating what a skyscraper that tall might look like rising out of the Tribune Tower’s parking lot: We also predicted that the...
Essex on the Park Eclipses Nearby Hilton Chicago
It’s only been a month since we last checked in on the construction of Essex on the Park (800 South Michigan Avenue), and the thing is sprouting like spring tulips in a Michigan Avenue median. Eventually. We promise they will. As for the Essex, since the end of February it’s put on a dozen floors as it climbs to an eventual 56-stories in height. This time last month, it was the same height as the Hilton Chicago (720...
With its Tower Underway, Construction at Essex on the Park Turns Inn-ward
The Essex on the Park development across the street from Grant Park is about to enter the fix-the-hotel phase of the project. Ten months ago, Oxford Capital and Quadrum Global were given construction permits by the city to start work on the new 56-story residential tower that is rising next to the time-worn hotel. As you can see in the photo below, taken by YoChicago!‘s Joe Zekas from One Grant Park, work on the skyscraper is...
John Hancock Center Latest Name to be Erased from Chicago’s Lexicon
Chicago’s venerable John Hancock Center is the latest name to be thrown on the city’s rubbish pile of the past. It joins The Sears Tower, The Amoco Building, Marshall Field’s and other beloved brand names that have been eschewed in recent history. Strangely, instead of this being a case of big business scrambling to wring every precious dollar from their properties in order to satiate faceless institutional...
Massive New Michigan Ave Tower Uncovered and What It Might Look Like
We’ve known for a long time that CIM Group has big plans for the surface parking lot behind the Tribune Tower. But we didn’t know they were this big. The Los Angeles developer which bought the Trib building in 2016 with plans to convert the gothic skyscraper into residences so exclusive the internet hasn’t come up with a word for it yet, wants to put up Chicago’s third-tallest building, right at the foot of the...
Change Brewing on North Michigan Avenue
Permits have been issued for the nearly $10 million transformation of the former Crate and Barrel flagship store on the Magnificent Mile into a new mega Starbucks. INTERIOR & EXTERIOR ALTERATIONS (GROUND THROUGH 5TH FLOOR) FOR SHELL & CORE ONLY TO INCLUDE NEW ROOF DECK OF AN EXISTING FIVE (5) STORY MERCANTILE BUILDING AS PER PLANS. The four-story building at 646 North Michigan Avenue opened in 1990, and it shaped like a (wait...
Baffled by Winter, Left Coast Bloggers Jump Ugly on Chicago’s Apple Store
Since this publication began almost 15 years ago, we’ve always stated there is a big difference between blogging and journalism. That became evident over this New Year’s Eve weekend, when a bunch of 20-somethings with smartphones who like to play journalist lit up the internet with cries that there was something wrong with the new Apple flagship store at Pioneer Court. Sadly, it started with local blogger Matt Maldre who...
