DAC Developments is now disassembling the tower crane at 808 N Cleveland Avenue, a 23-story mixed-use tower in Near North Side. The topped-out high rise is taking the place of an overgrown trapezoidal piece of land. Programming will include 7,500 square feet of retail space, 20,000 square feet of leasable offices, and 200 for-rent apartments.
The penultimate addition to our Dead by Design series of cancelled Chicago projects is a gargantuan 2011 proposal oriented around the nine-story Old Chicago Post Office. The original post office was a smaller mail terminal designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White. Having completed in 1921, the Art Deco structure was expanded in 1932 to bring its total square footage to 2.5 million square feet. While shuttering its mail operations in 1996, the building was inducted into the National Registry of Historic Places in 2001, then would be sold by the city to Bill Davies of International Property Developers in 2009 for $24 million.
Curtain wall facets can be seen taking shape along the exterior of 1012 W Addison Street, a new three-story sportsbook betting addition to Wrigley Field in Lake View. The project is being spearheaded by the Chicago Cubs and Marquee Development, whose new wing of the iconic stadium comes as a result of a recent reversal of the city’s sports betting ban. This new ordinance has led to five total professional sports stadiums throughout the city now integrating their own betting operations.
In a week of similar milestones, construction has gone vertical for 741 N Wells Street, a 21-story mixed-use development in River North. The 201,000-square-foot development by Vista Property will yield a total of 168 apartment units atop a ground-level retail component. The project will also preserve a two-story masonry building situated directly to the north.
Foundation work is beginning to rise for a two-story commercial building at 801 W Belmont Avenue in Lakeview East. Developed by Hubbard Street Group, the project is replacing a masonry bank and surface parking lot on the block bound by Belmont Avenue, Clark Street, and Halsted Street. This former bank at 3179 N Clark Street was originally designed by Ivar Viehe-Naess and built in 1921. Demolition was completed in late 2021.
