The west tower crane at McDonald’s Park, the first of two rigs that will erect the Chicago Fire’s new stadium, will soon have a sibling to play with on the east side of the construction site. The base—a much longer tower crane base than we usually see planted in the ground—is now standing at The 78, awaiting full setup.
Now and then, the first panes of glass show up at a construction site, only to be removed and replaced by a different style of cladding. But the first level of curtainwall at 566 West Van Buren wraps around the southwest corner of the second floor, indicating that it’s more than just a sampling, as can be the case when only a panel or two are installed on a single facade.
Only rubble and one story’s worth of west and north wall remain on the former site of Aya Pastry at 1332 West Grand Avenue in West Town. The neighborhood bakery closed in August 2025, and its building was slated for demolition in June of this year. Our site visit at the end of June showed the building still standing but surrounded by demo fencing, with a crew and excavator on the lot starting prep work.
Permits issued on September 3 allow the demolition of the former North Side United Pentecostal Church in Edgewater and the construction of its residential replacement. The demolition permit for 1527 West Edgewater Avenue, which will be carried out first, entered the data portal on July 7, 58 days before its issuance with a reported cost of $60,000. Tir Conaill Concrete is named as the demo contractor.
It was the third of September, a day they’ll always remember at the First Romanian Baptist Church in Lincoln Park, because that was the day a permit came through to demolish the frame church building at 2622 North Ashland Avenue. Pending for 69 days since its application start date of June 26, the permit came through with a reported cost of $20,000. Carlos Group Inc is named as the demo contractor.
