151 North Franklin Forging Ahead, Could Break Ground This Fall
Apr07

151 North Franklin Forging Ahead, Could Break Ground This Fall

Written By on April 7, 2015 in Franklin Street, Proposals, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, The Loop, _story

  Remember that great big blue skyscraper that the John Buck Company wanted to build at the corner of North Franklin  and West Randolph Streets?  The one that they shut down a Walgreens and a Chinese take-out joint to build, but to date nothing has happened?  Well, stuff’s happening; you just can’t see it. Loop Spy Dan shared a bit of information with us straight from the developer, that one major tenant is already...

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Status Update: Block37.5
Feb03

Status Update: Block37.5

Written By on February 3, 2015 in Construction, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, State Street, The Loop, _story

The bits and pieces are coming together for the new residential tower rising above the Block37 mall in downtown Chicago (25 West Randolph Street).  The picture above was taken yesterday by Loop Spy Ryan, and shows that the massive weight-shifting truss that makes the new building work with the old building has been enclosed.  Meanwhile, concrete forms are in place so that the floors of the SCB-designed building can be poured. When...

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SCB Explains the Block37 Residential Tower
Jan02

SCB Explains the Block37 Residential Tower

Written By on January 2, 2015 in architecture, Construction, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, The Loop, _story

For the last few months, construction crews have been busy trying to jam an apartment building on top of downtown Chicago’s Block37 mall.  The tower at 25 West Randolph Street is perched on the northern edge of the mall, flush with a very busy street in the heart of the city’s Theater District.  But space constraints weren’t the only challenge that the architects at Solomon Cordwell Buenz had to overcome.  We...

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Randolph Street Bridge Turns 30
Dec19

Randolph Street Bridge Turns 30

Written By on December 19, 2014 in bridge, history, Randolph Street, The Loop, _story

Editor’s Note: The Randolph Street Bridge turns 30-years-old this week.  To mark the occasion, Chicago Architecture Blog bridge specialist Patrick McBriarty shared this excerpt from his book “Chicago River Bridges.”  You can learn more about his book and buy it here, in print or Kindle format.     The current Randolph Street Bridge is the newest drawbridge built in Chicago, which is now thirty-years old and...

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A Coat of Paint, or the Start of a New Skyscraper?
Oct20

A Coat of Paint, or the Start of a New Skyscraper?

Written By on October 20, 2014 in Construction, Franklin Street, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, The Loop, _article

Loop Spy Otto (Really?  “Otto?”) sent in these photographs of the parking garage at 200 West Randolph Street getting a new paint job.  Why is that so interesting?  Because the wall being panted is planned to be the common wall joining John Buck Company’s new 151 North Franklin. The city of Chicago approved construction of the 36-story office building designed by John Ronan in April of this year.  Since then, the...

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Here Comes 151 North Franklin
Aug22

Here Comes 151 North Franklin

Written By on August 22, 2014 in Construction, Franklin Street, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, The Loop, _story

John Buck Company’s new office tower at 151 North Franklin Street is about to become reality. The Walgreen’s store that currently occupies the lot at the corner of West Randolph Street and North Franklin closes for good at 5:00pm today.  Employees confirm it is being torn down to make way for the new skyscraper. Loop Spy Dan went by there yesterday and talked to some construction-looking workers who also confirmed that...

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Another Skyscraper Barges In Along the Chicago River
Jul25

Another Skyscraper Barges In Along the Chicago River

Written By on July 25, 2014 in Construction, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, West Loop, _story

Amid construction barges and politicians in hardhats, yesterday downtown Chicago got to see its second skyscraper groundbreaking in as many weeks. West Loop Spy Kevin hit our Tip Line and sent in this photo of the official groundbreaking for 150 North Riverside.  The project formerly known as 400 West Randolph is another office-tower-plus-park that will help complete the western portion of the Chicago Riverwalk system. Just as the...

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The Story Behind 150 North Riverside, the West Loop’s Newest Skyscraper [u]
Jan13

The Story Behind 150 North Riverside, the West Loop’s Newest Skyscraper [u]

Written By on January 13, 2014 in Chicago River, Lake Street, Proposals, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, West Loop, _story

Most of the i’s are dotted, and many of the t’s are crossed, and by this time next year, we should see a shiny new skyscraper and lush new park rising along the banks of the Chicago River in the West Loop. The building is 150 North Riverside, designed by friends of the blog, Goettsch Partners, and being developed by O’Donnell Investments.  It will rise 53 stories on a chunk of land that has been mostly railroad tracks for...

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150 North Riverside Approved, Now Let’s Move Some Dirt!
Dec20

150 North Riverside Approved, Now Let’s Move Some Dirt!

Written By on December 20, 2013 in Lake Street, Randolph Street, Riverside Plaza, Skyscrapers, West Loop, _story

  Set your watch for July, 2014.  That’s when O’Donnell Investments and U.S. Equities plan to break ground on 150 North Riverside, now that Chicago’s city council has given final approval for the new 53-story, 747-foot-tall skyscraper and public park to be built on the edge of the Chicago River in the West Loop. The people over at O’Donnell are so excited, they sent out the following press release:  ...

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New Skyscraper at 151 North Franklin Makes Its Public Debut
Dec03

New Skyscraper at 151 North Franklin Makes Its Public Debut

Written By on December 3, 2013 in Franklin Street, Proposals, Randolph Street, Skyscrapers, The Loop, _story

  If you’re a tech nerd of a certain age, you may remember something called the squircle. It’s a combination of a circle and a square, and also the infamous input device on Microsoft’s failed Zune music player. Well, the squircle is back, this time taking the form of a skyscraper known as 151 North Franklin. Even the building’s brochure is die-cut in the shape of a squircle. The John Buck Company project...

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