Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

Yet another status update on the new Children's Memorial Hospital (225 East Chicago Avenue),  The facade is coming along, and is even completely in place on some sides.  The vertical stripes you see in the picture are repeated at the top of the building where they conceal mechanical equipment.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

Yet another update on the new Children's Memorial Hospital (225 East Chicago Avenue) going up in the Gold Coast.  Though there's much glazing work to be done, the main parts of the facade are mostly in place.  For the last few weekends, there have been early-morning shipments of large pieces of truck-sized equipment whose labels, to a layman like myself, appear destined for the emergency room or ICU.

Video and pics: Helicopter Lift at Water Tower Place

Several streets in the Gold Coast were shut down this morning so that new HVAC units could be lifted to the roof of Water Tower Place (845 North Michigan Avenue).

The sky crane picked up the HVAC units one at a time from the ball field at nearby Lake Shore Park, ferried them down Chicago Avenue, and then up to the top of the skyscraper.  Getting them over that lip is quite a feat, as it is 1,059 feet high.

The original lift was scheduled for January 23, 2010 but had to be postponed a week because of bad weather.

Helicopter lifts are much like baseball games -- simultaneously boring and fascinating.  I made a video of a portion of the lift to give you an idea what it looks like. I didn't bother shooting the transport of all six giant silver boxes.

More pictures follow the video.  Click on them to enlarge.

Status Update: Leonidas is Still Coming

It was back in November that we first mentioned the new Leonidas store coming to the former Bank of America location at 59 East Chicago Avenue.  Since then, little has changed with the storefront.  In spite of the "coming soon" promise, it didn't manage to open in time for the Christmas shopping season.  But there are signs that things are still progressing.

Recently a permit was posted showing the Leonidas is still moving forward with the project.  It was issued January 7, 2010.  Also, there is a promotional placard for a Red House, a company that specializes in renovations.

Presumably, Red House is doing the interior design.  But we'd be more impressed if it let us see the work being done inside, or at least posted renderings of what the finished product should look like.  The Leonidas project isn't even mentioned on the company's web site.

Slice of Life: When Cranes Snuggle

A pair of cranes working on the new Children's Memorial Hospital (225 East Chicago Avenue) take a snuggle break in the middle of the day.  Awwwwww.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

This is probably the six zillionth status update we've done for the new Children's Memorial Hospital (225 East Chicago Avenue). But I happened to be in a hospital and managed to snap this picture of the back side of the new building.  Looks pretty good so far.  You can see the area on the left setback where the green roof and play area will be, and how the building cantilevers over its right side at the same point.

New Children's Hospital is Hanging Out

In what may be the first of many "Look ma! No hands!" moments around the new Children's Memorial Hospital, the building has begun its horizontal expansion over the alley to its east.

We've done a number of status updates on the hospital at 225 East Chicago Avenue (here, here, here, here, here, and here), but with this horizontal movement, the facade being attached and even some glass going up, it's actually starting to something like its rendering.

More on the Leonidas Chocolate Opening

A couple of weeks ago we noted the impending opening of a Leonidas chocolate shop at 59 East Chicago Avenue.

One of our readers wrote in to let us know that this isn't the first Leonidas in Chicago.  A Chicago Tribune article shows that there was once one on LaSalle Street back in the 1990's.  We haven't been able to track down why or when it closed, but at least it's coming back to the city.

Another Chocolate Shop Coming to Chicago

Leonidas has put up a sign in the vacant space at the base of The Chicagoan promising to bring Belgian chocolate delicacies to downtown Chicago.  It's opening in what was formerly a Bank of America branch at 59 East Chicago Avenue.  The store is expected to open in time for Christmas with a selection of choccies imported from Brussels.

This is the second Leonidas location in the United States.  The other is in... Wilmette.  It's also at least the fifth chocolate shop within two blocks of the historic Chicago Water Tower.


For more on Leonidas, here's the Wikimopedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_(chocolate_maker)

Status Update: The New Loyola University Building

It's been a while since we checked in on this project.  We first told you about it back in January. Shortly thereafter a snow-covered Dunkin' Donuts at 24 East Chicago Avenue and some less savory storefronts were turned into dust.

Now the new building's exterior looks pretty much done, and it's hard to remember a time when this wasn't a part of the Loyola University Law Center (25 East Pearson Street).  Unfortunately, like other Loyola buildings, this one shows a blank wall to the world.  Is the university really planning for the day when the brand new McDonald's next door might be replaced by yet another Loyola expansion?  Seems unlikely.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

It's not often we have a status update that lacks a photo, but this is one of those cases.

We've received word from Children's Memorial Hospital that the new hospital at 225 East Chicago Avenue will be topped off by early December, maybe a little sooner if the weather cooperates.

Right now, the project has entered a new phase of construction -- building the portion of the skyscraper that cantilevers over the northeast side of the building and contains the sky lobby.  That should be done in the spring.

A hospital spokeswoman also sent over a revised fact sheet.  Maybe I missed it the first time around, but this was new to me:

Sky Garden: The 5,000 square-foot sky garden, a unique activity and respite area, will include a translucent interactive light wall that changes color as children approach.

That sounds pretty neat.  Maybe it will turn flashing red when a helicopter approaches so the kids know to run for cover!  Seriously, though -- I'm all in favor of the continued greening of Chicago's roofs, and the sky garden will be 11 stories below the heliport anyway (12 if you count the 13th floor, which doesn't exist).

One El of a Storefront

Over the last few years, the CTA has spent millions erecting a new Brown Line elevated station at Chicago Avenue (301 West Chicago Avenue).  The new edifice on the south side of the street is a magical grid of steel and glass and screeching train wheels.  But on the other side of the street, a piece of architectural history has been left behind.

That's where the old stationhouse still stands, silently holding its own against the near-continuous thunder rolling over it from above.  The windows at 300 West Chicago Avenue have been papered over, but this little house hasn't been abandoned.  In fact, I recently saw a CTA team gently removing graffiti from the east side.

So, what will become of it?  That's up to the economy.  It would be an excellent building for a quirky little cafe, but who wants to be the one to open across the street from an established Starbucks?  A pizza joint might be right, except that one block over pizza restaurants seem to come and go with some regularity.  We've heard that it's currently being used for equipment storage.

So, what are your suggestions?  What kind of business would be right for this property?  Our nomination:  A tiny museum about Chicago's El system.

For more than you ever wanted to know about the history of this station, check out this page at Chicago-L.org.

Not Much Information: That Honkeytonk Place

From the Not Much Information file: Remember that honkeytonk-looking joint on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Dearborn Street?  Remember how it closed about a year ago?  Well, it's back -- this time as a pizzeria.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

The new Children's Memorial Hospital (officially, The Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago) continues its growth spurt at 225 East Chicago Avenue.  The steel frame of the building is rising at what seems like a remarkable speed.  In this photo, it's up to the 12th floor, but by the time you read this (most of our articles are written a couple of days in advance), it will likely be up to 14 or even 15 of its eventual 22 stories.

No, we're not going to express an opinion about the proposed heliport for the facility.

Start Spreadin' the News on Michigan Avenue

Last week we noted the disappearance of two of the city's higher-profile newsstands.  The kiosk on the corner of Chicago and Michigan Avenues and the one at the corner of State and Division Streets in front of the Washington Mutual at 1200 North State Parkway both disappeared last week to be replaced with fresh pads of gleaming concrete.

A note tacked to a light pole on Chicago Avenue noted that the kiosk would return, and indeed, it has.

Monday, a City Lights truck and crane showed up with a brand new newsstand from JCDecaux.  The new kiosk is the same as the other new ones already in place in The Loop and matches the rest of the motif the city uses for its street furniture, harkening back to Chicago heydays of the 1930's.

The crane had some trouble getting it in place because of a stray electrical line and the face that the kiosk goes under a tree.  But after a little while, the crews managed to figure it out.

In what feels like a bit of irony, the newsstand is getting new life just as the Borders store across the street at 830 North Michigan Avenue gets ready to close for good.  Regulars have told us that there are a number of subtle signs that preparations are already underway for the shuttering of the readery.  Chief among them, is the removal of several formerly prominent shelving units, leaving gaps in what would otherwise be prime retailing space.

Kiosks Vanish in the Gold Coast

Editor's note:  This article was scheduled to run on Monday, but since Crain's moved its version tonight, I pushed this up as well.----------------
One of the few 24-hour stores in downtown Chicago is gone.  Not just closed -- but actually GONE.

This past Wednesday (July 15th), city crews dismantled the newspaper kiosk on the corner of Michigan and Chicago Avenues next to the Walgreen's, dug up the foundation and poured a blanket of fresh new concrete.  The only evidence that there ever was a newsstand at this location is a paper sign taped to a nearby pole promising that the newsstand will return by July 20th.

The same thing (pictured above) happened a day earlier to the newsstand at the corner of State and Division Streets, in front of the Washington Mutual.

Neither newsstand was very pretty, but they were at least reliable.  The main one on Chicago Avenue was open 365 days a year, and I've personally purchase copies of British Vogue there at 3am.  For a city the size of Chicago, 24-hour shopping and dining opportunities are remarkably rare.

Similar newsstands on Randolph Street and other places in The Loop have been replaced by new French street furniture by JCDecaux in recent years.  The new newsstands are expected to be the same style, as will the news kiosk on Chicago and State when it returns after the construction of Loyola University's latest building.

Intel Pops Up at Dead CompUSA

It used to be possible to walk into 101 East Chicago Avenue and buy an Intel processor.  Of course, that hasn't been the case for at least a year since the CompUSA store at that location closed  its doors.  But Intel is back -- using the space as a combination billboard and PR stunt.

The billboard beckons passers by to text their thoughts on the future to INTEL on their cell phones and what they write might just appear on the big TV on the ground level.  Or not.  With similar displays up at other locations around the country, you might want to wait until the dead of night to try your hand at publicizing your thoughts to what is likely the world's smallest broadcast audience.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

Here's a look at how far the new Children's Memorial Hospital on Chicago Avenue is coming along.  The elevator core is rising quickly, and the steel isn't far behind.  Already there's steel in place for portions of the first and second floors.

Status Update: Children's Memorial Hospital

Things are moving along quickly at the new Children's Memorial Hospital on Chicago Avenue.  Since the tower crane went up a few weeks ago.  The elevator core is now up to about the fifth floor and the rest of the building can't be too far behind.

Status Update: The still unnamed new Loyola building

Only a couple of weeks after we posted our article about Loyola University planning to tear down a grungy strip of retail stores on Chicago Avenue it actually happened.

Though Crain's Chicago Business and others predicted that demolition wouldn't happen until spring or even summer, if you blinked, you missed it.    Dunkin' Donuts, Tony's and the random vacant space are all gone and the newsstand has been closed up tight.  Look for that to disappear soon.  It will be stored in a city warehouse until the project is finished.

Soon to come -- a Loyola University building with offices, classrooms, and street-level retail.  Since the economy has made us new fans of McDonald's dollar menu, we'll keep a close eye on this for you.