Allen Richards' Blog: A New Red Monster To Rule Over Clybourn 1200

Even all folded up like some sort of metal origami art piece, this is an impressive piece of machinery.

When we last visited the Clybourn 1200 (1200 North Clybourn Avenue) site back in early March, we had to get up close and peek over the fences to get a good look at construction progress. Crews got started on caisson work at the former City Farm site back in January, and had been doing some digging on the foundations as spring approached. But there wasn’t much to see if you were just passing through on Division Street.

But that’s changed now. And it’s changed to the tune of a BIG HONKING RED CRANE!

As is often the case in Cranedom, we noticed something different in the Cabrini-Green skyline whilst shuttling back and forth on the L train. But this anomaly wasn’t your typical tower crane. No, this one had more of a crouching-tiger-waiting-to-pounce sorta look to it. Cameras in tow, we headed up that way to get a better look.

A rendering of Clybourn 1200 from Pappageorge Haymes Partners.

But first, we should remind you of what Clybourn 1200 will be. Designed by Pappageorge Haymes Partners, this Brinshore development will deliver 84 mixed-income rental units and 17,000 square feet of retail space, plus 76 parking spaces for retail and residential use. The ground floor will include a day-care facility, so we’re assuming there will be some additional parking areas for Big-Wheels too. The wedge shape of the building will squeeze perfectly into the triangle formed by North Clybourn Avenue and Division Street. And it won’t just be pleasing to the eye; with its green roofs above both the day-care portion, and the overall top of the project (complete with bee hives), the LEED-goal structure will be pleasing to the environment as well.

But that crane. We got there just in time to see crews test out its full range of motion. It went from a two-point stance to fully upright in the blink of an eye. A successful first try-out, we’re sure. The real test will come via heavy lifting, but this doesn’t appear to be that crane’s first rodeo.

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