Inside Look: The Massive Concrete Pour (and Progress) at East Market

The pour officially got underway this morning. Here's a firsthand look at the project (and its progress).

By James Jennings· 7/13/2015, 12:07 p.m.

The big pour. Photos by James Jennings

The concrete pour at the East Market construction site got underway Monday morning, as 35 trucks are expected to funnel 350-cubic-yards of concrete for the foundation of the sub basement.

It marks the first real signs of vertical growth at the site, where copious amount of retail and restaurants (and digital signage) will anchor a residential tower holding 322 units and a green amenity deck. We took a brief tour of the hole and the former Family Court Building at 34 South 11th Street. We’ve got to admit, it was pretty damn cool to see the process unfold, and even more impressive to get near the work and take in the massive scope of the project.

Marshall French, construction manager with National Real Estate Development, said that a larger than normal crew will be pouring the footings for the sub basement today, which will bear the load for the tower portion of the project on 11th and Market. Above that level will be the foundation for the underground parking structure, which will line the perimeter of the enormous hole that stretches the entire block. Early renderings showed a second tower at 12th and Market and French confirmed that they are planning “an overbuild” for that side of the project.

To really appreciate size of the expanse, French took a few of us up to the third floor of the former Family Court building at 34 South 11th Street. As you know, MOM’s Organic Market has already signed on to lease 16,000-square-feet of the ground floor of this building and another commercial space is expected to become a restaurant. The partial urbex jaunt up the three flights of stairs was steamy (thanks, July), but totally worth it, as the stripped floor plates showcase the true potential of the space. Strong mushroom columns dot the layout and we really got a sense of how open, modern office space could work at this location, especially with the tall windows. Plus, it’s just insanely fun to be on a tour of a construction site.

The exercise from the third floor was actually two-fold. We were granted an elevated look out onto the project (an amazing sight to see), but it also gave us the opportunity to look into the future. French explained that the adjacent residential tower will have a green amenity deck on the third floor of the building and some larger units on the Market Street side will have their own decks. Daniel Killinger, managing director of National Real Estate Development, told us in May that the first 100 units were expected to roll out in second quarter 2016, with more coming online through the summer and rest of the year.