We invite you to view our latest projects. Just click on a window, and you'll be on the inside of one of our major new developments.

The venerable Chicago History Museum’s goal in transforming 75 percent of the non-profit museum’s public spaces was to dramatically reinvent its galleries and re-interpret Chicago’s position as America’s crossroads. Alter Construction Management’s $27.5 million renovation called for creating dynamic exhibition spaces that entertain, engage and challenge visitors with a rich array of personal stories, artifacts, design elements, media presentations and technology.

The Chicago History Museum’s principal goal was to position itself as a world-class institution and a pre-eminent destination for residents and visitors to the city alike. After an in-depth search, the museum chose Alter Construction Management to serve as the program manager to upgrade the galleries, enlarge the public spaces and add interactive 21st-century technology to lure a broader audience.

The renovation allows the museum to display items from its 22-million artifact collection that have never before been seen by the public; spectacularly expand the centerpiece Chicago history exhibition; incorporate advanced interactive technology to more actively engage visitors; and harmonize disparate sections of three separate buildings resulting from earlier renovations. Alter Construction Management’s control and oversight assured completion in just 10 months, in time for the museum’s gala 150th anniversary celebration.

Muntu started to create its new space in 2005. When the initial cost estimate went over the budgeted $18 million, Muntu selected Alter Construction Management as the design/build project manager to value engineer the design and deliver the building at the right price. Construction was already far along, with the building foundation in place, the steel and one precast-concrete wall fabricated. Thanks to the design/build process’ innate flexibility, Alter Construction Management fine tuned the existing design so Muntu’s building met the budget parameters. Additionally, we incorporated work already performed and materials purchased – while preserving the original project scope.

A hub for the performing arts, as well as an economic and social driver in its historically significant South Side neighborhood, the Muntu Dance Theatre pioneers a suite of green-building, sustainable design and operational components. The building incorporates a 400-seat proscenium theater; administrative offices; meeting spaces for community organizations; rehearsal studios; multipurpose classrooms; retail space for lease to compatible businesses; and a concession area.

The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions came to Alter Construction Management to analyze and customize $50,000 worth of proposed meeting spaces, and to provide program-management services for an assembly of 9,000 religious leaders in Barcelona, Spain – thousands of miles from the Council’s downtown Chicago headquarters.

Alter Construction Management provided invaluable services during the planning stages, and throughout the construction process -- from strategic planning to logistics to consultation on facility design. Relying heavily on bilingual translators to facilitate construction by the primarily Spanish-speaking work crews, Alter Construction Management managed the team, pushed the tight one-year schedule and recommended design changes to support the event’s complex programming.

To ensure that all program aspects were successfully realized and the tight deadline met, Alter Construction Management went beyond its original construction consulting role and organized all technical aspects for the five-day event. This included security, audiovisual, staging, theatrical lighting and sound for 900 presentations, performances and plenary sessions.

Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service – DuPage County’s pioneering emergency-ambulance and paramedic provider – chose Alter Construction Management to construct an innovative new corporate headquarters in Elmhurst, IL.

Two years before Alter Construction Management was brought into the project, Superior Ambulance had started the construction of their new headquarters – and then halted it when it became obvious that the building as designed would exceed the $25 million budgeted. At this point, the building’s structural skeleton was partially completed and ready for the placement of concrete decks. We evaluated the design and suggested improvements based on our knowledge of successful commercial properties. Superior elected to scrap the existing plans and commissioned Alter Construction Management to implement a totally new design that retained the existing structure.

Acquiring necessary construction materials proved more challenging than expected, as a direct result of hurricane Katrina-related shortages. Alter Construction Management’s long-term relationships with suppliers and patronage of local firms helped expedite deliveries to complete the building in line with Superior’s tight timeline.

Alter Construction Management was selected by New Jersey-based developer, Antheus Capital Partners, LLC, to act as the owner’s representative for the construction of the $120 million, 27-story, 147-unit Solstice on the Park condominium overlooking Jackson Park and the Museum of Science & Industry.

Solstice on the Park’s south façade’s windows will be tilted at a 71-degree angle, which is the exact angle of the sun at the moment of Chicago’s summer solstice. Solstice on the Park’s south-facing glass is slanted to optimize thermal comfort and energy savings. In winter, low-angle sunshine enters to warm the interior; while in summer, high-angle sun is kept out, decreasing the demands for air conditioning. An exclusive lifestyle amenity – a half-acre garden with well-spaced seating clusters – adjoins the fifth-floor fitness center and hospitality suite. Additionally, the building will recycle rainwater for lawn irrigation.

The architect is Studio/Gang Architects, a Chicago-based practice recognized for innovative ideas and a sustainable design approach, which will seek LEED certification for the project, located at East 56th Street and South Cornell Avenue. Currently, the project is in the design and pre-sale stages, with McHugh Construction Company providing pre-construction services. Construction, which will start when approximately 40 percent of the units are sold, is expected to require two years.

The Alter Group commissioned Alter Construction Management to construct two industrial buildings totaling 256,426 SF and valued at $10.5 million at its Lake Center Corporate Park in Mt. Prospect, IL.

Occupying a prime site at the intersection of Algonquin (Route 62) and Elmhurst (Route 83) Roads, the speculative industrial buildings support expanding air-freight traffic resulting from O’Hare International Airport’s ambitious multimillion dollar expansion. The 147,813 SF and 108,613 SF buildings erected by Alter Construction Management also are the first new industrial space that The Alter Group has developed in Chicago in a decade.

The 31-acre parcel represents the last large available site minutes from O’Hare, and has the convenient access to I-90 necessary for distribution and air-freight firms to operate.

The owners’ board of directors of the Landmark Condominiums in Vail, CO, tapped Alter Construction Management for its depth of experience in managing complicated construction projects when it wanted to add 17 new units, valued at $31.5 million, to the 120-unit upscale condominium development.

The primary objective was to obtain professional design services; ownership and governmental approvals; and air-rights entitlements over the existing property to redevelop and enlarge the 35-year-old building. After Alter Construction Management’s preliminary work proved successful, Landmark chose the firm to act as the project’s developer and general contractor. The Landmark plans call for re-cladding the existing seven-story residential tower with stone; reconfiguring the roof line; adding a three-story, 17-unit addition above the existing townhouses; constructing new underground parking; and creating a new building entrance.

The luxury property is located at 610 West Lionshead Circle on the pedestrian mall, just 100 yards from the world-famous Eagle Bahn Gondola.

The DuSable Museum of African American History chose Alter Construction Management to be construction manager for the $25 million transformation and expansion of its historic roundhouse stables, a 61,000 SF limestone building, in Washington Park on Chicago’s South Side.

Designed by legendary architects Daniel Burnham and John Root, the 61,000 SF roundhouse stables building will house new galleries, curatorial, education, storage, and conservation facilities. Acquired from the Chicago Park District in 2004, the 1881 building’s exterior is designated an historic structure by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Additionally, the museum has applied to the National Park Service to designate the roundhouse a national historic site, which would make the renovation eligible for federal tax credits. Partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the project’s budget currently sets aside $15 million for the roundhouse renovation, and another $10 million for exhibition build-out.

How do you maneuver through a landlocked urban site in the middle of Chicago’s busiest shopping district to build a full-service banking facility? That’s the challenge Alter Construction Management faced when building a $4.2 million branch so The Northern Trust Company could bring their trademark high-touch service to one of the city’s most exclusive streets.

Delivering the Northern Trust building demanded painstaking coordination because the 5,000 SF urban site, surrounded by existing structures and a busy alley, presented serious physical constraints. These included a 50-story high-rise next door with below-ground parking structures that complicated ground work. To maintain the tight construction schedule, Alter Construction Management monitored progress on literally an hourly basis, particularly materials delivery and scheduling trades so work could proceed without interruption. Deliveries were made at night when Oak Street has minimal pedestrian and auto traffic.

Proximity to Lake Michigan presented a serious challenge to pouring foundations because of on-site water that had to be removed. To solve the problem, Alter Construction Management installed a well-point de-watering system – comprised of a pipes-and-pump mechanism – to siphon the water into Chicago’s storm-sewer system. The construction team also located and exposed buried concrete foundation structures and systematically demolished everything that did not undermine the neighboring buildings’ structural integrity. They also redesigned the bank’s foundations to co-exist with extraneous concrete that had to remain in place.

Victory Gardens Theater, established in 1974 to produce world-premiere plays, acquired Chicago’s historic Biograph Theater with a view to turning the landmark into a new home for its celebrated productions.

Thanks to Alter Construction Management’s international experience in creating world-class performance spaces, Victory Gardens chose the firm to manage the $11.3 million transformation of the legendary 1914 Biograph – one of Chicago’s grand movie palaces and the scene of the infamous 1934 John Dillinger shootout.

Alter Construction Management worked closely with architect Dan Coffey & Associates and general contractor Pepper Construction Company to renovate the theater and enhance the scale and scope of work produced on the main stage. The piece de resistance is a 299-seat moderate-thrust main stage theater that guarantees the intimacy for which the theater’s performances are known, and provides enhanced technical production capabilities. The new Victory Gardens incorporates the latest lighting and sound equipment, as well as generous wing-space, fly-space and a trap system under the stage to enable theatrical magic.