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The podium of a 41-storey apartment building in Chicago is now structurally complete as crews shift work towards assembling the tower portion of the project. Vancouver's Onni Group is bringing 365 units to 369 West Grand Avenue in the city's River North neighbourhood, with a glassy design by Brininstool + Lynch housing the rental residences.
The project, dubbed The Grand in early marketing material, replaces a vacant hardware store and began construction earlier last year. Onni Group secured a $150 million construction loan from Goldman Sachs in late 2019 while the development was already above grade.
The five-storey base will provide retail on the ground level and parking for 250 cars above. The podium's brick-framed piers echo the characteristics of nearby historic structures, while translucent glazing brings a modern touch to the development, also masking the parking levels within.
Residential amenities on the sixth floor and an adjacent outdoor deck crowning the podium provide another look at the building's architectural traits. Structural columns expressed on the east and west facades are revealed at the top and bottom of the tower, with three vertical lines of recessed balconies bridging the gap. The structural columns and balconies create a grid pattern at the building's roof, indicating the presence of the three-storey penthouse collection.
Onni Group acquired the site for $9 million USD in 2012. The current plan, approved last year, followed an earlier scheme that was rejected in 2015.
SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
