Construction is nearing the vertical halfway mark for the 50-story BMO Tower, set to extend the Chicago skyline further southwest into West Loop Gate. Located at 320 S Canal Street, the 727-foot-tall edifice ranks ninth in YIMBY’s end-of-year countdown of tallest new developments.
BMO Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
BMO Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
The project is being jointly developed by Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties, with 1.5 million square feet of Class A office space and amenities. Floor plates will range in size from 29,000 to 32,000 square feet, with finished ceiling heights ranging from 9’6 to 12 feet on select floors.
BMO Tower park. Rendering by Goettsch Partners
BMO Tower. Rendering by Goettsch Partners
BMO Tower ground-level interior. Rendering by Goettsch Partners
Goettsch Partners is responsible for the design, whose massing is comprised of setbacks that allow for large private terraces. Encasing this massing is a dynamic facade that involves a corrugated glass curtain wall and large V-shaped trusses at its base. The ground floor is set back from the above structure to allow for additional plaza space, while a new 1.5-acre public park will accentuate the tower’s presence on the southern portion of the site.
BMO Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
BMO Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Two below-grade floors will support a 400-vehicle parking garage. Tenants and visitors will also have access to Union station one block directly north. Available CTA buses within a one-block radius include stops for Routes 1, 7, 28, 37, 60, 121, 124, 125, 126, 151, 156, 157, and 192. Service for the CTA L can be found one block south at the Blue Line’s Clinton station, while all other lines are accessible within a 15-minute walk east to The Loop.
BMO Tower glass installation. Photo by Jack Crawford
BMO Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Since YIMBY’s last update in late October, general contractor Clark Construction has added roughly a dozen floors and begun the installation of the curtain wall. The $900 million undertaking is expected to reach completion in January 2022.
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Very similar to the BoA tower up the river, but I think this has better glass and will turn out better.
The park will be a nice amenity for residents and office workers in the area, but it’s a shame the is elevated on the Clinton side. It looks like it’s because of the parking garage underneath, but it’s seriously bad urban design.
That park/plaza will never see the amount of people that are in the rendering. I’d rather see the block fully built out with buildings to add structural density and some diversity of scale rather than a giant tower and a plaza. Every pocket park and podium could be land for more buildings for more people that would add vibrancy. That would create actual demand for these types of public spaces rather than a few stroller pushers and dog walkers here and there. All these parks & podiums do is create gaps in the skyline and lessen the impact on the street. Same exact thing over at One Bennett Park and Lakeshore East.