YIMBY recently stopped by the site of Tribune East Tower, the newly approved supertall that will become Chicago’s second tallest building. Tribune East is part of the Tribune Tower redevelopment project, which includes the conversion of the original Tribune Tower into 162 condominium units. Developers CIM Group and Golub & Company are leading the development of the $700 million structure that will replace a surface parking lot originally used by Chicago Tribune employees.
View of Tribune East Tower. Rendering by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the structure will rise 1,422 feet with 102 floors. It will hold a 200-room hotel, 439 rental units, and 125 condominiums. A 687-vehicle parking garage and 14 loading docks will be located on site. The tower will feature a glass and metal façade along the entire height of the building.
Streetscape View of Tribune East Tower. Rendering by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
The development will include upgrades on site for both Upper and Lower E Illinois Street for residents and hotel guests entering the building. The existing Pioneer Court Plaza along N Michigan Avenue will also be renovated to create additional green space and outdoor seating. A new path to Cityfront Plaza will also be included in the new plaza.
View of Pioneer Court. Rendering by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Streetscape View of Tribune East Tower. Rendering by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
In its current state, the site, which was originally a parking lot, is now full of construction equipment and supplies including steel beams and decking. The lot is acting as a storage and tagging ground for the adjacent Tribune Tower renovation and conversion. Additionally, the property is being used for contractor parking, the onsite field construction office, and to hold a mobile crane.
View of Tribune East Tower Site. Image by Jack Crawford
The lot is bound by E Illinois Street to the north, N St. Clair Street to the east, Pioneer Court to the south, and the Tribune Tower complex to the west. Multiple CTA bus routes are accessed within a two-minute walk from the site. The Grand CTA L station, serviced by the Red Line, is a seven-minute walk away.
View of Tribune East Tower Site. Image by Jack Crawford
Approved by the Chicago Plan Commission and Chicago City Council in May 2020, Tribune East Tower is fully greenlit and ready to rise. Construction is expected to begin in late 2021 or early 2022, with an estimated completion date of 2025.
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Is this getting built?
Hi WhatIsHappening, the decision to remove Tribune East from the model was based off of a forum user on Skyscraperpage who went to a PR event in June by Golub and Company:
“I have some bad news with regards to Tribune Tower East. I went to a networking event at the Tribune Tower last night. It included a tour of the new residences and amenity spaces (unbelievably cool btw). The tour was led by Lee Golub himself. He leads Golub’s US division and Golub is part of the development team for both phases of the Tribune Tower. He was telling a bunch of stories and eventually started talking about the 1422′ Phase 2 Tower. According to him the tower is definitely not happening and they never considered it a serious proposal in the first place. They just wanted something to show as part of the proposal for phase 1. He considered the tower way too tall and grand and that it never made economic sense. Something will happen there someday but it won’t be nearly so tall.”
Unfortunately at the moment it seems like the tower will either be cancelled or redesigned to fit current market conditions.