The Chicago Tribune Freedom Center has been scraped from the earth, but activity continues on the River West site of Bally’s Chicago Casino. As we keep an eye out for the first construction permit to be issued by the city, rebar is already being bent and curled into cages to be lowered into caissons to support the building.
The permit we’re all waiting for, via the Chicago Data Portal
The Chicago Tribune Freedom Center has been turned into a smooth, blank canvas for the Bally’s Casino. Photo by Daniel Schell
Looking toward the south end of the site, where concrete is still being crush form the demolition. Photo by Daniel Schell
Rebar cages. Photo by Daniel Schell
Ironworkers assemble rebar cages to be lowered into the caissons and filled with concrete. Photo by Daniel Schell
Last week, while a crew assembled rebar cages, a soil-sampling rig was tasting dirt at the north end of the site. Along the Chicago River, piles were being driven into the riverbed to shore up the land ahead of all the added weight it will soon have atop it. But no drilling of the caissons. Not yet.
Soil-sampling rig. Photo by Daniel Schell
Pile-driving operation, viewed from the other side of the construction site on Halsted Street. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
There will be some big caissons here. Photo by Daniel Schell
Granted, there are a couple permits active for the site. At 703 West Chicago Avenue, permits have been issued for temporary toilets on trailers. Not really the permits we want to see, though.
Driving piles into the river along the river wall on the east side of the construction site. Photo by Daniel Schell
The offshore pile-driving operation. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Looking west across the river form the Chicago Avenue Bridge. This is a huge construction site. Photo by Daniel Schell
The casino will be built by the Chicago Community Builders Collective, a joint venture of contractors that includes Gilbane Building Company, Brown & Momen Inc., d’Escoto Inc., Milhouse, Powers & Sons Construction, SQN Associations, Ujamaa Construction Inc., and Riteway-Huggins Construction Inc. The first phase is expected to open in late 2026.
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Can’t wait for Q3 when the bridge, road, and site will be under construction. With apologies to all those units facing this.
Still hoping they can get the RR to terminate the line at the concrete factory and pull up all those rails down to Bloomer.