Presidential Towers Go Grayscale at 555 W Madison Street in West Loop Gate

One of Chicago’s more common high-rise colors is the omnipresent beige that can be seen in large herds clustered in areas like River North and West Loop Gate. We recently looked at 600 N Dearborn in River North, where The Farallon’s owners have been repainting its exterior walls from a tan-like tone to a cooler dark gray. As seen in recent photos, the Presidential Towers at 555 W Madison Street in West Loop Gate have been receiving a similar treatment. All four of the 49-story, 461-foot-tall towers are transitioning to a medium-gray paint job along most of the exterior walls, as well as a secondary dark-gray at the base and top.

Presidential Towers (new paint scheme on portions of left two towers). Photo by Jack Crawford

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

The quadruplet towers were originally built in 1986, with the masterplan developed by Daniel Levin, James McHugh, and Daniel Shannon, and designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. The two-block plan comes with a roughly 135,000-square-foot retail base, 2,346 total apartments, and parking for 1,162 vehicles. Since changing hands in 2007, the towers have seen numerous renovations and upgrades by the new owner, Waterton Associates.

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

Prior to the new paint job, the towers’ changes have included new landscaping, a new sundeck, fully-renovated interior concourses, and fully-renovated lobbies. Most notably are new upgrades to the apartments themselves, which include hardwood-like flooring in living areas, new kitchens and baths, as well as washers and dryers in some units, according to a past article by YoChicago.

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

The towers connect to several bus and rail options nearby. Bus service within walking distance includes stops for Routes 20, 56, 125, 192, and J14. Meanwhile, closest CTA L options include Green and Pink Line Trains at Clinton station via a six-minute walk north, as well as the Blue Line at the other Clinton station via a nine-minute walk south. Also nearby is the Metra at Olgivie Station, as well as both the Metra and Amtrak at Union Station.

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

Presidential Towers. Photo by Jack Crawford

While the northernmost two towers can already be seen with a large portion of fresh paint coats, it is currently unknown when all such work is expected to wrap up.

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