After years of delays, Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs on Monday launched the first phase of a multi-year $575-million program to renovate and expand Wrigley Field, one of the league's oldest ballparks. Demolition work is proceeding despite a lawsuit filed in August against the City of Chicago and its Landmarks Commission by owners of several surrounding buildings. The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Courts, asks a judge to throw out a July decision by the commission to allow construction of seven outfield signs, which owners contend will block the views of clubs that view games from their rooftops. Although
One of Chicago's most prominent and underutilized parcels will be the site of a 34-story, 690-unit apartment tower, completing a redevelopment plan for the property begun in the late 1980s. Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group indicated earlier this month it has secured permits required to construct the tower atop a five-story mall located on Block 37, a parcel sandwiched between Daley Plaza and retailer Macy's in the heart of Chicago's Loop. Architect for the project is Chicago-based Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates. When completed, the tower will be the largest apartment building to rise in the Loop since 2010, when
Large specialty contractors experienced greater gains than small to mid-size firms as the region's construction industry negotiated its road to recovery last year.
Forces of nature as mighty as a polar vortex and as miniscule as endangered mussels haven't waylaid work on Michigan's $274-million Karegnondi Pipeline, a new raw-water conduit that will snake east from the banks of Lake Huron to treatment facilities in Genesee, Lapeer and Sanilec counties along its 67-mile trajectory.
HartNathan Hart has been named project manager in the concrete group at St. Louis-based general contractor CM Tarlton Corp. As senior project engineer and project engineer with the firm, Hart previously worked on a parking structure for Lambert International Airport's main terminal in St. Louis. Related Links: ENR Midwest People Showcase ENR People Sherri Pingel and Diane Pence have joined Faith Technologies, a Menasha, Wis., electrical and specialty systems contractor, as vice president of value-added purchasing and vice president of strategic sourcing, respectively. Pingel had been supply chain manager for Switchgear Power Systems in Winneconne, Wis. Pence was an equipment
Illinois added 11,100 construction jobs (+5.8%) in August, trailing only Florida, California and Texas in year-over-year comparisons, according to data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Indiana (7,600 jobs, +6.2%), Michigan (3,400 jobs, + 2.6%) and Wisconsin (3,000 jobs, +3.0%) also logged solid gains for the same period, while Ohio (-1,500 jobs, -0.8%) and Missouri (-400 jobs, 0.4%) logged declines. The region didn't perform as well in month-to-month comparisons, with most states posting declines or modest gains. Illinois (2,300 jobs, 1.2%) made the strongest showing for the period, followed by Wisconsin (500 jobs, 0.5%), Missouri (200
Columbus, Ind.-based engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. has selected New York City-based Deborah Berke Partners to design its $30-million distribution headquarters in downtown Indianapolis.The firm has Women's Business Enterprise certification and was selected as part of a global design competition. Other contenders included SHoP Architects and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, both of New York City. Berke will team with RATIO Architects Inc., Indianapolis, the project's architect of record. Wilhelm Construction, Indianapolis, is construction manager. “Cummins has a long tradition of embracing inspiring architecture," Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard indicated in a statement. “People are looking for distinctive places to live and
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. on Tuesday broke ground on the $450-million, 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons in downtown Milwaukee. The 1.1-million-sq-ft complex will replace a 16-story, 35-year-old facility Northwestern Mutual demolished earlier this year due to structural problems. When completed, the complex will be Milwaukee's largest building, but not its tallest. Six-hundred-foot-high U.S. Bank Center will stand about 50 feet taller than a 700,000-sq-ft prow-shaped tower anchoring the complex. The structure will join three other buildings on Northwestern Mutual's downtown campus, sited near Lake Michigan. Extending two blocks, the three-story, 435,500-sq-ft Commons will connect new and existing structures
Midwest construction backlogs hit their highest mark since December 2012 in the second quarter, rising from 6.16 months to 6.42 months in quarter-to-quarter comparisons, according to data compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors. Though the region still trails the Northeast, South and West by up to three months, ABC anticipates greater activity in the energy and industrial sectors will propel Midwest backlogs higher. After tumbling earlier this year, the probable result of harsh winter weather, the nation's backlogs rebounded to an all-time high between first and second quarters. Backlogs rose 5.4%, to 8.5 months. “The long-awaited brisk non-residential
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