Another West Town High Rise Tops Off
Sterling Bay and SOM have put yet another feather in Chicago’s West Town skyline. 345 North Morgan topped off recently at 11 floors. Rendering of 345 North Morgan (Via Sterling Bay) Eleven levels isn’t all that much when it comes to Chicago construction, but being hard up against a set of Metra tracks and a block-and-a-half off of Fulton Market, 11 stories is pretty good for a piece of what is essentially urban infill....
Sterling Bay’s Latest Skyscraper Gets Liked and Hearted by Plan Commission
You may have noticed that the freight train bringing new skyscrapers to Chicago has showed up empty in recent weeks. Things usually slow down around Christmastime, so we’re not revving up a klaxon just yet, but keep an eye on this just in case one thing ceases to lead to another. December, 2021 rendering of 1245 West Fulton Market In the meantime, enjoy the skyscraper that Sterling Bay stuffed in your stocking just before the...
SOM Bakes Up 2 Skyscrapers To Replace ADM Flour Mill
A lot of people had strong feelings when the old ADM flour mill at 1300 West Carroll Street was turned into powdermilk biscuits earlier this year. Some people thought such an industrial legacy no longer belonged so close to downtown Chicago. Others who had lived in the city longer had grown to love it, and felt a kinship with that piece of history. But none of that matters now because serial real estate developer Sterling Bay has...
Comically-Shaped Parcel Getting Cool-Looking Skyscraper
West Town serial fixer-upper Sterling Bay is ready to sprinkle magic fairy dust on another surface parking lot and turn a rotting pumpkin into a glittering skyscraper. Its lawyers have filed paperwork with the City of Chicago to pull the trigger on 360 North Green. Screengrab from 360 North Green promotional video. (Via Sterling Bay) When we first blathered about this bother four years ago, the design was fairly ordinary. Now...
Crane Coming Down at 300 North Michigan
A tower crane going up is a good sign of progress in the construction of a new skyscraper. A tower crane coming down is even better. That’s what’s expected to happen this week at 300 North Michigan Avenue. The eponymous mixed-use building designed a couple of blocks away by bKL Architecture is approaching that special level of doneness where it no longer requires something big and swingy to do the heavy lifting. 300...
bKL Up for Michigan Avenue’s Newest Skyscraper
The latest skyscraper to light up what used to be a forgettable stretch of North Michigan Avenue appears to be making great progress. Construction of 300 North Michigan Avenue in July, 2021. (Courtesy of Loop Spy Mike.) Loop Spy Mike sent in these pictures of construction at 300 North Michigan Avenue. The Sterling Bay and Magellan Development project designed by bKL is rising across the street from the historic and awesome Carbide...
As One Lincoln Yards Building Switches to Offices, Another Gets Bigger
There’s been a change of programming over at Lincoln Yards, the $6,000,000,000 Sterling Bay development sprawling along the north branch of the Chicago River. The City of Chicago has greenlit (greenlighted? greenlamped? greened?) a new purpose in life for one building, while another has to make room for more pillows. April, 2021 rendering of 1201 West Concord. The building pulling the ol’ switcheroo is at 1201 West...
Loop Skyscraper Design Tweaked
You know the old saw about the artist who kept sneaking into the museum at night to keep working on his painting years after it had been on display to the public? Architecture can be like that, too. March 2019 rendering of 300 North Michigan Avenue The people behind the new residential skyscraper at 300 North Michigan Avenue have received approval from the City of Chicago to tweak the design of the 47-story building, already...
27 Story West Town Apartment Tower On Tap Next to Taco Bar
That sorta weird, sorta interesting old bank on North Morgan Street in West Town is going to become a thing of the past. Sterling Bay has selected that building, its surface parking lot, and its drive-through as the location of a new apartment tower. March, 2021 diagram of 160 North Morgan Street. bKL Architecture is the monogram on this one, bringing a 27-story design with a pool on the roof, which is awesome in a way the pools on...
ADM Flour Mill on Ogden Meets the Wrecking Ball
Chicagoans love their industrial history. They also love to tear that history down and put up square, boring buildings that maximize shareholder value. The ADM flour mill at 1300 West Carroll Avenue being demolished on February 11, 2021. (Courtesy of YoChicago!) Our tip line went nuts on Thursday when heavy machinery from Heneghan Wrecking started tearing into the 1897 Archer Daniels Midland flour mill on Ogden Avenue in West...