Construction crane for Lincoln Common development rises over Chicago’s Lincoln Park

The mixed-use redevelopment of the old Children's Memorial Hospital site is moving in high gear

By Jay Koziarz Aug 25, 2017, 11:35am CDT

Lincoln Common building A2 pictured right.

While Hyde Park’s Solstice on the Park apartment tower recently took down its tower crane, another long-discussed project on the opposite side of Chicago is in the process of gaining one of its own. Over the last few days, crews have been busy installing a very visible piece of construction equipment for the 20-story ‘A2’ apartment tower of the Lincoln Common development rising at the six-acre parcel formerly occupied by Children’s Memorial Hospital. Situated near the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Orchard Street, the A2 is one of two 20-story high-rises currently under construction at the site.

The $350 million Lincoln Common project has been in the works for over six years. Developed by McCaffery and Hines Interests and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with Antunovich Associates, it calls for a total of 540 rental units, roughly 40 condominiums, 94,000 square feet of retail, and 57,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space. The plan also reuses the hospital’s old 1930’s-era boiler house and laundry building and overhauls the existing parking structure.

To accommodate the installation, crews closed Lincoln Avenue between Halsted and Orchard starting Wednesday, August 23rd. The busy neighborhood thoroughfare will remain blocked-off though Friday, according to an email issued to 43rd Ward residents this week by Alderman Michele Smith. Hines has also installed an array of webcams to follow the construction progress as it happens.