Articles by Daniel Schell

Caisson Work has Begun At 7 West Elm In Gold Coast

7:30 am on September 28, 2026 By Daniel Schell

Caisson work is underway for 7 West Elm, the 28-story residential tower where Lou Malnati’s and Barnes & Noble once stood in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Thatcher Foundations has their rigs on the site, surrounded by the usual array of corrugated tubes, rebar cages, and iron liners, as they drill and fill shafts below the surface. A permit issued on September 12 allowed this phase of construction, including the caissons and foundation work through the second floor. It came through with a reported cost of $5 million.

3909 North Ashland Avenue construction & demolition permits

Demolition, Eight-Unit Construction Permits Issued For 3909 North Ashland Avenue In Lake View

7:30 am on September 27, 2026 By Daniel Schell

New construction and demolition permits were issued two days apart last week for the property at 3909 North Ashland Avenue in Lake View. Permission to tear down a vacant two-story building on the site came through the portal on September 23, with Carlos Group assigned to the job at a reported cost of $20,000. Two days earlier, new construction was permitted after a 67-day wait in the data portal. Its reported cost is $2.4 million.

917 West Fletcher Street construction permitted

Permission For Three Units At 917 West Fletcher Street Means Demolition For 1894 Home

7:30 am on September 26, 2026 By Daniel Schell

A new construction permit issued for 917 West Fletcher Street on September 21 means an 1894-built Lake View home currently occupying the lot will be demolished. Promised Land Development closed the property under an LLC in August for $1.15 million after filing an application to build new on August 5, waiting 47 days for the permit to come through. It includes a reported cost of $1.2 million.

1010 South Wells Brings The Pane For Its First Level Of Glass

7:30 am on September 25, 2026 By Daniel Schell

As 1010 South Wells nears its topping out, the first level of glass has wrapped around the fifth floor, the first of the residential levels. Crews from Brandts Build and Goebel Forming are working east to west on the 20th floor now of what will be a 22-story building with nearly 400 rental apartments.

The Tower Crane Is Up At The 1901 Project

7:30 am on September 24, 2026 By Daniel Schell

McDonald’s Park isn’t the only job site in town with a shiny new yellow Liebherr tower crane; there is now a 420 EC-H doing the heavy lifting for the parking garage at The 1901 Project, too. The crane’s base was planted in the Neat West Side ground back in July. We can’t say exactly when the rest of it was erected, but it’s been there long enough to set some heavy ironwork over the below-ground loading dock off Damen Avenue.

McDonald's Park east tower crane at The 78

The East Tower Crane Is In The Air At McDonald’s Park

7:30 am on September 23, 2026 By Daniel Schell

For the first time since since Fall 2017, there are two tower cranes on a McDonald’s job site, though this time they’re building a very different project. The east crane at McDonald’s Park at The 78 in the South Loop has been erected, allowing construction on the Chicago Fire’s new stadium to progress away from the river towards Clark Street.

Bryn Mawr Avenue SFRs permitted for construction

Two Former St Gregory Parish Frame Homes Razed For SFR Replacements

7:30 am on September 22, 2026 By Daniel Schell

A pair of frame two-story structures sold by St Gregory the Great Parish in Andersonville have been razed and the lots permitted for two single-family residences. Three demolition permits were issued for the two buildings at 1621 and 1625 West Bryn Avenue on July 22, including one to remove a shared oversized garage at the alley behind the properties. Maxym Demolition of St Charles was contracted to to do the work at a reported cost of $22,500 for each frame building and $9,500 for the masonry garage. A visit to the site on September 7 showed only a small amount of rubble remaining.

Permit Comes Through For 24 Units At 1815 North California Avenue In Logan Square

7:30 am on September 21, 2026 By Daniel Schell

A permit issued by the City of Chicago on September 15 allows for the construction of a five-story, 24-unit residential building on a vacant lot spanning 1815-1821 North California Avenue in Logan Square. Permission was granted for the project after a 119-day wait in the Chicago Data Portal, and it comes through with a reported cost just over $4 million. Stanislaw Chodak and Wes Kahn are the co-developers for the new homes.

50 Units Permitted At Fillmore & Laflin On Near West Side

7:30 am on September 20, 2026 By Daniel Schell

With the issuance of a new construction permit on September 18, developer 4Corners LLC can begin erecting a residential project at 1455 West Fillmore Street on the Near West Side. City Council approved the five-story, 50-unit building back in October 2025, and an application to build was filed for on February 25 of this year. It had a 205-day wait in the data portal before coming through.

2963 North Elston Avenue three-flat permitted for construction

Three-Flat Residence Approved At 2963 North Elston Avenue In Avondale

7:30 am on September 19, 2026 By Daniel Schell

A private developer who purchased a property at 2963 North Elston Avenue in Avondale last year received a permit this week to erect a new three-flat on the now-vacant lot. Permission was granted just short of a year after their September 19, 2025 application start date, coming through on 09/15/2026 with a reported cost of $750,000. John Berta of Barrington is named as the architect of record, and G.M.D. general Construction & Remodeling LLC is listed as the general contractor.

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