The City of Chicago has issued a permit for a Liebherr 316 EC-H 12 Litronic tower crane for the continued construction at 1630 South Wabash Avenue in the South Loop. CMK Properties has three apartment projects in the works on a two-block segment of Wabash, and it looks like 1630 will be the next one to restart. The permit became reality yesterday, March 7.
Pile-driving crew at work, January 2024. Photo by Jack Crawford
Tower crane permit for 1630 South Wabash, issued 03/07/2025. Via Chicago Data Portal
1630 South Wabash received its first two building permits in 2023. The first permit was the second step, allowing construction of the foundation up through the underside of the third level. The second permit issued was for driving 146 piles up to 87 feet into the ground instead of drilling caissons. That work has been completed, with the site remaining idle while general contractor Brandts Build worked a block away at 1717 South Michigan. The full building permit was issued on December 12, 2023, so the tower crane permit is the final piece of the puzzle. As the concrete contractor, McHugh Concrete will be in charge of tower crane operation.
1630 South Wabash site, April 2024, after pile driving had been completed. Photo by Daniel Schell
The 12-story tower will include 149 rental apartments over ground-floor retail. The original permit called for 105 parking spaces; a revision permit issued in July of last reduced the parking to 49 spaces, while calling for reconfiguration of levels 1-3 and 12. Design firm Papageorge Haymes Partners shows the parking will now be confined to the first and second floors. There will also be first-floor retail space.
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This area is going to be really nice in 20 years at this pace.
Thank you CMK and Papa George for which this will be a beautiful building and only 12 stories. I was so worried it was to be another high rise! Makes me happy that we get a beautiful building and I keep my view from 1720! Thanks and bless your constructive and all people involved.
you and your views. Dont live downtown if you don’t want high rise progress
I can’t tell if this is parody or serious
87 feet into the ground for a 12 story building? Is that normal?
The pile depth depends on the types of soils found at the site and their suitability for supporting a building. The site is only a couple blocks away from the original shore of Lake Michigan. The areas east of Michigan Ave are essentially old land fill, which could be anything and would be unsuitable to support a building of that height, so yes, it would be normal depending on the types of soils there.