Construction giveth, and construction taketh away, as the tower crane we’re about to get at The 1901 Project will be counterbalanced by the one we’re losing at Bally’s Casino hotel tower in River West. The 36-story, 500-room hotel has been topped out for several weeks, but it wasn’t until Friday the 24th that we passed by and saw the crane had been lowered below the roofline.
Here you can see the third tower crane tie-in has been removed. The first and second tie-ins are still in place. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Open spaces on the upper levels, seen from West Town. Photo by Daniel Schell
Most of the glass exterior has now been installed. There is work to be done on the top ten floors, and the five lower floors are still wide open to the elements on the west facade. We saw glass progress along the river back in June.
Top o’ the tower, 06/26/2026. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Glass panels installed on the hotel’s lowest levels, June 26. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The tower crane spent one year in action after it was erected back in July 2025. It was jumped three times during its tenure, which is a slow yet tantalizingly entertaining progress milestone, even when I don’t get to the construction site in time to see it.
The tower and a Metra train from a UP-W Metra train. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Friday morning, July 24, from an inbound UP-N Metra train. Photo by Daniel Schell
Tower and favorite water tank. Photo by Daniel Schell
Questions remain as to progress on the hotel rooms, amenities, and such. With the December opening date looming, there has been no official word yet as to when the casino and hotel will actually open, but Bally’s requested an extension to the deadline long ago. The odds seem long that we’ll see an opening before 2027.
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So sad to see there’s no expression of the core as it’s being wallpapered over with glass curtain wall. It ain’t Inland Steel