Coolest Construction Site in the City?

click images for larger view (recommended)

From the north, the view from the escalator mezzanine at the AMC River East is more entertaining than many of the movies.

It's street theater to the nth degree.  Usually, construction sites are closed off from public view behind chain-link fencing and green netting.  Along Illinois and New Streets, the site of the 600-foot tall 435 North Park, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, is no exception.  Walk north down Park Drive, however, as it rises on an incline, and the entire two-block square parcel falls open to your view.

Upper North Water Street now serves as a viewer's balcony, looking down unobstructed on the noisy, bustling hub of construction activity. 

We've written about this project - and posted renderings and daytime video - less than two weeks ago, but coming upon it, floodlit at night, is one of the most dramatic cityscapes you're likely to encounter. It's like stumbling across the landing strip at Roswell.

Once the building begins to rise above ground, of course, all of this will again be hidden.  So don't hesitate.  Wait for the end of the workday at nightfall, grab a bag of popcorn, some coffee or a flask of warmed brandy, lean against the concrete street balustrades, and enjoy one of the best shows in Chicago as caissons for the tower's foundations are dug deep into the soil.