Work was finished so fast at the 900 Monroe demo site, people were even forgetting their footwear as they were leaving. Sad, lonely sneaker:
It seems as though this site has now turned into a temporary parking lot and staging area, for the ongoing work at 800 Madison, which is across the street:
Wonder how long they will use this land as a parking lot, and when they will begin construction on the planned 12 story luxury condo? Bets, anyone?
Well, it looks as though the printing warehouse on the corner of 9th and Monroe, also known as 900 Monroe, has officially gone to factory heaven. Below are two shots looking north and northwest, in which you can see a neighboring building that was left intact. Yesterday I walked by and the receiving doors were wide open, revealing what looked like a thriving business with shrink wrapped goods lying around. My first thought was that this entire three block stretch of warehouses would be torn down at once, but it seems it will be done in stages:
Triple digger action!
With a little coaxing, I got Eddy Excavator to pose for my lense. Normally he's shy but today, emboldened:
The guys have been hard at work separating the raw materials into piles - one for steel, one for large concrete pieces, and one for dirt. This sense of organization really excites my partner. When he walks by he can't help by feel a sense of pride that someone else shares his OCD level of organizational skills:
Me? It just makes me want to play dominos:
The beginning of the week at the 900 Monroe demo site was all about sprinkler time to cool off from the warm weather. Wasn't it in the 90's? There was also a little cherry picker action, see below:
While looking at the debris not yet carted away, I noticed a few pieces that looked like giant honeycomb cereal. Can you spot it?
A closer look reveals we're going to need more milk:
You know what they say about dudes with huge boots - less risk of tripping on gravel:
Pre - Chad:
Post - Chad:
By the end of the week the last brick had been pulled down, and now all that's left is the clearing of the rest of all this rubble:
Also, if anyone wants a free couch, or a black BMW X5, both are sitting on the corner of 9th and Monroe, waiting to go home with you. Gosh this neighborhood is full of generous people!
The job is almost finished at 900 Monroe. Just some additional clearing of debris, and the last bit of warehouse still to come down, and then the job will be complete! There is also a section of foundation (red brick, shown below) along 9th street that needs some attention. Another week or so and you'll be able to play shuffle board...
There was a monumental moment at 900 Monroe this past weekend. Danny Demolition was working overtime, eating away at the old water tower, smack dab in the center of the warehouse that's being torn down. First he started tearing away at the lower leg, and the sucker held on. Wouldn't budge. Next he tried the base of the tower, with no better luck. During the struggle, people started watching, waiting, and staring. With each try, the vibrations were so great it was shaking cars in the streets! Finally, after a quick repositioning of his massive arm, Danny got to work- attaching himself to the top of the water tower and slowly tipping it over. It landed with a loud thud on top of an ever growing pile of rubble, letting out rust smoke and a sleepy flock of birds, who must have been enjoying their morning coffee- and were completely surprised by the loss of their long time pied-a-tier. The series of events, captured below:
Here are a few more pictures of the overall site, as well as two shots looking through the interior windows.
And lastly, to put a smile on Nancy's face, who's a loyal HH reader down in Naples, FL - here are two shots of Fields Crossing, as never seen before, because the warehouse is no longer blocking this particular view. Previously this shot would have only been possible by computer rendering. Enjoy!!
9th Street enjoyed quite a bit of action this past weekend. So much so, I could barely take pictures of the demo progress. The wind was so strong, it was blowing so much dust into the air that I couldn't keep my eyes open. God only knows what that warehouse was built with, and I'm pretty sure I didn't want to breathe in all of those years of history. Enjoy the dusty pics, though:
CMC (Charlie Small Chompers) had his hands full cleaning up the debris in the streets and making sure things were running smoothly:
By the end of the weekend, there wasn't a wall standing along 9th Street. Exhausting!
