May 8, 2013 – The first of three towers at Chicago’s Wolf Point will start to take shape on July 31, according to the building’s architects.

Thomas Kerwin of bKL Architecture says plans for a groundbreaking ceremony have not been announced. bKL designed the 525-foot, 510-unit residential tower that will be the first building constructed – which should take about 22 months, according to Kerwin.

James McHugh Construction Company and Clark Construction Group, both of Chicago, will be working together as general contractors.

(Left) Photograph of an architectural model of the 525-foot residential tower that will be the first of three buildings constructed at Wolf Point near Merchandise Mart. Photo obtained from bKL Architecture, the Chicago firm commissioned to design the tower. (Click on image to view larger version.)

On February 26, the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards approved a zoning reclassification that will let developers build the tower on the west side of Wolf Point. The tower will cost $175 million and create 400 construction jobs, according to Jack George, an attorney for Houston-based Hines Interests L.P., developer of the 3.85-acre site on land owned by the Kennedy family.

The project will eventually include a 950-foot south tower and a 750-foot east tower that will both contain a mix of office, retail, and residential space.

Friends of Wolf Point, a vocal critic of the project that was concerned that the increase in traffic would overwhelm their neighborhood, appears to have moved on. The group’s website was recently taken down although the domain name they registered last year does not expire until 2015.

 Related story: Zoning committee approves Wolf Point development, again