The Week of October 1, 2018 — Goodbye ‘Cheese,’ the Crane That Provided Structure to the Children’s Hospital

In the foreground ‘Cheese’ with its boom bowed to the ground has been given the day off.  ‘Big Mac’ seemingly salutes its partner as it begins the last day of September hoisting steel up to the 10th and 11th floors. As it turned out, ‘Cheese’ was given the whole week off. The crane is scheduled to be dismantled on Monday, October 8, 2018.

GOODBYE ‘CHEESE’

The wide stance of ‘Cheese.’ The crane is roped off, the boom is down, and its work on the Children’s Hospital tower is complete. ‘Cheese’ awaits the crew who will arrive early tomorrow morning (October 2, 2018) to dismantle it piece by piece to be trucked off to another site.

UPDATE 10.02.18

The Demolition of ‘Cheese’ has Been Pushed Back to Monday,

October 8, 2018 – No Reason Given.

This week we will say goodbye to ‘Cheese,’ the crane located on the south side of the Children’s Hospital that parallels Barton Road. Now that the steel frame of the Children’s Hospital tower has been completed, there is no need for the large Liebherr LR 1750 crawler crane. The Liebherr LR crawler crane, known as ‘Big Mac,’ with its 370 foot boom will be able to take the Adult Hospital tower and the elevator tower to their top-off level. Barring any problems, it is my understanding that beginning Tuesday, October 2, the process of dismantling ‘Cheese’ will begin.

On the eve of week 124, we see ‘Cheese’ under cloudy skies.

The hospital towers bathed in twilight and scattered clouds.

As the day came to a close, the west half of the Adult Hospital tower is up to the 12th floor.

The west atrium betweens the Adult Hospital (left) and Children’s Hospital (right) towers. Just beyond the atrium is the elevator tower.

A view through a second floor curtain wall window opening (sans the glass window panel) from the third panel installed on the 26th of September. The view from the window opening is of the area (white truck) where the Schumann Pavilion elevator tower connects the new hospital podium to the Schumann Pavilion via a pedestrian bridge.

The east side of the sixth floor being prepared for an early Tuesday morning concrete pour.

The west atrium as viewed from the 6th floor.

The west atrium looking east from the 6th floor. The platform, center left, will be a reinforced pad for equipment that will be lowered via crane.

The west atrium with the Adult Hospital tower to the left, and the Children’s Hospital tower to the right. The elevator tower is between the two hospital towers.

The recessed area will be reinforced with rebar and concrete to support the MRI machine. The anchor footings on which the machine will be mounted have been bolted to the concrete base.

At the back of the prefab curtain wall panels are being welded at the 5th floor level.

A view of the two towers at grade as viewed from the northeast.

Just below the northeast corner of the Adult Hospital tower, a high-powered meeting takes place as two crane operators, and two ironworkers responsible for getting the iron hung discuss the inventory in the yard. These mens physical stature and raw strength match their trade in that two are over six feet and two in the 6 foot 3 inch range.

A beautiful sight to end the first day of October 2018.

The following morning (7:37 AM) the site awakens to cloudy skies. A concrete truck with a snorkel pump has just completed pouring concrete on the last (east) half of the 6th floor.

And so with ‘Cheese’ idle all week with its boom anchored to the ground, we wait the weekend to see what Monday brings.

The collage of five photos portraying the week in review shows ‘Cheese’ to the south (left) standing guard over the Children’s Hospital tower.