Checking in on construction sites around the Loop

With over 50 high-rises currently under construction in Chicago’s Loop, it’s difficult to ignore all of the changes taking place around the downtown neighborhood. Much of the construction activity taking place in the greater Loop area is for new rental towers, but there are also new hotel rooms and condominiums on the way as well.

Workers are currently wrapping up the finishing touches on the Loop’s new Linea apartment tower, meanwhile, on the other side of the Loop, a large crew continues working on what will become the tallest tower of this development cycle. There’s a lot of work happening throughout the area, but here’s a quick look at a few of the most high-profile construction sites around the Loop.

↑ 151 N. Franklin

This new glassy tower from the John Buck Company will house Chicago’s CNA Financial when it is completed next year. Standing at 36 stories with 820,000 square feet of office space, the upcoming office building joins the new Linea apartment tower located across the street in filling in the northwest section of the Loop. The tower’s design comes from Chicago’s John Ronan Architects.

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↑ 215 W. Lake

Formally titled Linea, this 33-story building is the Loop’s newest apartment tower. The new tower replaces the 19th century Osborne & Adams Leather Co. building, which was one of the oldest buildings in the Loop at the time of its demolition. The tower features 265 rental units which start around $1,900 per month for a studio and can approach upwards of $5,000 per month for some of the larger three-bedroom floor plans.

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Harry Carmichael

↑ Vista Tower

Technically located in the Lakeshore East planned community on the New East Side, this new tower project is certainly the biggest that Chicago has seen since before the recession. The under-construction Vista Tower will eventually stand at 93 stories, or 1,186 feet, and is expected to cost $1 billion from start to finish. The development comes from a joint venture including Chicago’s Magellan Development and Chinese partner Dalian Wanda Group with a design team composed of Studio Gang Architects, Gensler, bKL Architecture, and landscape architecture outfit OLIN.

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• Chicago's 52 high-rises under construction, mapped [Curbed Chicago]