Building Up Chicago

Last weekend, as they took the tower crane down at the Thompson Center.

It’s pronounced muh-LORT

Next week on the podcast I don't have, join my guests and me as we discuss demolitions in Chicago, including this one, permitted yesterday at 2219 North Fremont Street. (Google image is better than what I took today)

400 Lake Shore Completes Its Penultimate Tower Crane Jump - Chicago YIMBY The fifth of six tower crane jumps was completed over the weekend at the 400 Lake Shore North Tower in Streeterville.

Updating the big stuff this week
chicagoyimby.com/2025/11/400-...

Hopefully he's allowed to come back soon.

Structural Iron Work Marks Progress On Bally's Casino - Chicago YIMBY The steel framework for Bally's Casino is beginning to take shape along the Chicago River in River West.

...and on the casino
chicagoyimby.com/2025/10/stru...

Bally's Casino Hotel Tower Starts Going Vertical - Chicago YIMBY The Bally's Casino hotel tower is starting to sprout upward, as construction crews from The Chicago Community Builders Collective continue their work on the 34-story, 500-room hotel in River West.

Bally's updates:
On the hotel... chicagoyimby.com/2025/10/ball...

42nd Ward Alderman Reilly Introduces Residential Tower Proposal For 669 North Michigan Avenue - Chicago YIMBY The weekly newsletter from the 42nd Ward on Friday included details for a proposed residential development at 669 North Michigan Avenue in Streeterville.

56-story tower proposed at 669 North Michigan Avenue would contain 498 apartments and 26,000sf of retail space
chicagoyimby.com/2025/09/42nd...

And in taller Plan Commission news, The Skyscraper Guy won approval to turn empty office space in the Pittsfield Building into more than 200 apartments
chicagoyimby.com/2025/09/offi...

Chicago Plan Commission Approves Rezoning For Chicago Fire FC Stadium At The 78 - Chicago YIMBY The Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday approved rezoning to allow construction of the new 22,000-seat soccer stadium for the Chicago Fire Football Club that team owner Joe Mansueto wants to build in ...

Yesterday, the Chicago Plan Commission approved a new Chicago Fire FC soccer stadium at The 78. This is Phase 1 of Related Midwest's megadevelopment at the South Loop site
chicagoyimby.com/2025/09/chic...

Caisson Permit Issued For Ten-Story Residential Building At 227 West Chicago In River North - Chicago YIMBY A caisson permit has been issued to begin construction on a ten-story residential building at 227 West Chicago Avenue in the River North neighborhood.

Caissons permitted yesterday for 56 dwelling units about 11 feet from the Chicago Brown Line platform
chicagoyimby.com/2025/09/cais...

August 12 progress report from 4907 North Paulina in Uptown, and a photo update from this weekend chicagoyimby.com/2025/08/prog...

Parking garage work from the parking garage, May 2025

Indeed chicagoyimby.com/2025/04/uic-...

Thompson Center
AbbVie Cancer Pavilion in Hyde Park has 2
Yes, Obama Pres Center
UIC Grenshaw parking garage

They haven't announced any plans that I've heard about.

FIve demolition permits issued today for the Damen Silos:
1. 1-story concrete silos
2. 10-story building/silos
3. 2-story masonry building
4. 1-story metal building
5. 1-story masonry building

City issues permit for demolition of Damen Silos in McKinley Park Neighbors call on city to ensure environmentally safe process after botched 2020 implosion in Little Village, hold out hope for green space.

The Chicago Department of Buildings issued a permit Thursday for the demolition of the iconic Damen Silos, a relic of the Southwest Side’s once-prominent grain processing industry. A demolition date is expected to be announced next week.

Original Redhot Ranch In Logan Square Gets A Demo Permit For Residential Redevlopment - Chicago YIMBY A demolition permit has been issued to tear down the original Redhot Ranch grill at 2072 North Western Avenue in the northwest side's Logan Square neighborhood.

The original Redhot Ranch on Western Avenue in Logan Square got a demolition permit this week. It will be replaced by a residential building
chicagoyimby.com/2025/07/orig...

I did the math, and that's very close to halfway to 72.

Thank you. I'll probably forget again and be back in three months.

Way better than my views from the ground

400 Lake Shore Enters July with Construction at Its 35th Story - Chicago YIMBY Concrete for the 35th story has been poured at the 400 Lake Shore North Tower as July 2025 begins.

Sorry, B-sky, I forgot you were here. Have some 400 Lake Shore update for your feed chicagoyimby.com/2025/07/400-...

photo of a tower crane at 626 S Wabash Ave, where a 164-home residential building is under construction. Photo by Peter Snyder.

the tower crane is up!

cc: @rsday.bsky.social @buildingupchicago.bsky.social

Transformation Of The Otis Elevator Foundry Into The Pilsen Foundry Lofts Is Underway - Chicago YIMBY Efforts to reclaim the Otis Elevator foundry building at 16th and Laflin Streets in Pilsen and convert it to residences are underway.

The Otis Elevator restoration project could very well turn out to be a spectacular reclamation. And I'm grateful they had so many doors open while they worked.
chicagoyimby.com/2025/05/tran...

Just checking to see if we took the exact same shots.....we did not

Shedd Aquarium Sets Up A Tower Crane On The Museum Campus - Chicago YIMBY A tower crane is on its way up at Shedd Aquarium, where big changes are underway to the 1929-built Graham, Anderson, Probst & White facility on the Museum Campus.

For the second time in 2025, an existing building erected a tower crane in crane-starved Chicago. This time, it's the Shedd Aquarium
chicagoyimby.com/2025/03/shed...

First Row Of New Glass Works Its Way Around The Thompson Center - Chicago YIMBY One row of glass, just above street level, is making its way around the Thompson Center, as Google renovations continue at Helmut Jahn's Loop office building.

The Thompson Center no longer looks quite so naked
chicagoyimby.com/2025/03/firs...

we've analyzed 2024 building permit activity Now available: our Chicago Permits Wrapped 2024 report

Our latest newsletter, about 2024 building permits activity, went out today.

The Glass Is Half Full At 220 North Ada In The West Loop - Chicago YIMBY Exterior glass has reached halfway up the sides of the apartment tower at 220 North Ada in the West Loop.

220 North Ada, keepin' it glassy
chicagoyimby.com/2025/03/glas...