LaSalle Street
Cable Car Powerhouse
“This building survives from the heyday of Chicago’s cable car system, the largest in the United States during the late nineteenth century. Originally housing a pair of Corliss engines, the Powerhouse served as a critical mass transit link between the Loop and the North Side by powering cable cars through the LaSalle Street tunnel beneath the Chicago River, moving about 100,000 passengers daily during he 1890s and early 1900s.” - Chicago Landmark Designation Plaque, 2001
This building is like a time capsule, preserving parts of every business it has hosted since its construction. I led the survey to digitally scan this property using a LIDAR camera. After uploading the data, I helped my team accurately reconstruct the interior and exterior of the site based on that point cloud data. The scope for this project included detailed floor plans of each level with overhead duct work included, exterior elevations, and a ceiling schedule.
