One of my favorite old Chicago buildings is going to be renovated. I’ve long admired the Old Republic Building (307 North Michigan Avenue).  Maybe because of its anonymity — it’s not as flashy as the Carbide and Carbon Building (230 North Michigan Avenue)across the street....

Earlier this year we mentioned the new LED displays now adorning the atrium of Block37 (1 West Randolph Street), and posted a few pictures and a video.  Now we’ve been sent a press release from the company that engineered the displays, along with some much better pictures than we...

Construction is well underway on the new Ogden Elementary School (24 West Walton Street) on State Street. We’ve talked about the demolition and construction of the new school before (hereand here).  The old school is long gone, and foundation work is underway on the new one.  This...

Yet another update on the new Children’s Memorial Hospital (225 East Chicago Avenue)going up in the Gold Coast.  Though there’s much glazing work to be done, the main parts of the facade are mostly in place.  For the last few weekends, there have been early-morning shipments of...

It’s hard to see from ground level, but progress is being made on Michigan Avenue’s newest condo tower.  For months, caissons have been driven into the sandy Chicago shoreline soil and there now appears to be something of a basement and retaining wall on the north side of the...

Several streets in the Gold Coast were shut down this morning so that new HVAC units could be lifted to the roof of Water Tower Place (845 North Michigan Avenue). The sky crane picked up the HVAC units one at a time from the ball field at nearby Lake Shore Park, ferried them down Chicago...

A crane towers over Hyde Park as it assembles the University of Chicago’s New Hospital Pavilion Project. Hopefully that’s a temporary name.  The 10+1-story project designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects & Cannon Design should be done in 2012, and will add 1.2 million square...

One of the few magnificent old mansions remaining on Lake Shore Drive is being renovated. The Carl Constantine Heisen House (1250 North Lake Shore Drive) looks like it’s been gutted and workers are busy putting things back together. It’s really amazing that such a beautiful...

Construction continues at The Roosevelt Collection (150 West Roosevelt Road), one of the city center’s biggest projects.  People are already living in the residential component, and the movie theater is expected to open next month.  Between this and the Target next door, the South...

Though it’s been downsized, things appear to be moving full speed ahead at Lincoln Park 2520 (2520 North Lakeview Avenue). More...

It’s been a while (April 9th to be exact) since we checked in on the new Staybridge Suites hotel going up at 127 West Huron Street.  And… it looks exactly the same as it did seven months ago. Compare the then and now pictures: I guess...

It’s with great anticipation that we’ve watched the Elysian Chicago rising over the last couple of years.  And now that it’s topped off, it really does have a remarkable impact on the city’s skyline. Even though it’s only 60 stories (and 700 feet) tall, it has...

Sure, it’s got a Renzo Piano stamp on it, but I can’t help but feel like the “starchitects” we looked to in the 80′s and 90′s for inspiration have gone off their feed.  Gehry’s become a one-trick pony.  Hadid churns out fantasy after fantasy but...