626 South Wabash has passed the halfway point, as the crew from Clark Construction works on the 19-story residential tower’s 13th floor in the South Loop. The concrete core stands about 15 stories high at the center of the building, with only a few more levels left to grow.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
On our most recent visit in July, the core was just popping above the L tracks up against the rear of the construction site, with floor plate progress reaching the second level.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Co-developers Melrose Ascension Capital and DAC Developments got caisson and full building permits back in 2022, but the site remained vacant until March of this year. Once work got underway, however, it’s been non-stop since.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
626 South Wabash (some versions of the project also use 630 South Wabash as the name and address) is a 19-story, 164-unit building designed by Antunovich Associates. Sixty of those apartments will be four-bedroom layouts geared towards student living and sharing. The rest of the units break down as 80 efficiencies and 24 two-bedrooms. A three-story podium will contain 64 parking spaces and storage for 100 bicycles, as well as 4,100 square feet of retail space at street level.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The construction site had been vacant since the 2006 demolition of the Wirt Dexter Building, an Adler & Sullivan landmark that was destroyed by a fire in July of that year.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Since the July visit, Clark has landed two more vital permits, with the hoist coming through on August 6 and the installation of passenger elevators granted permission on September 3. Using the building’s projected construction timeline of 18 months, fall 2026 is the anticipated opening date. Rents had been expected to start at $1,650 per month when the tower was first announced.
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This is definitely not a head-turner, but it looks very nice and blends perfectly into Chicago’s general architecture.