Chicago YIMBY’s 2022 year-end countdown comes to a close with the city’s current tallest project Salesforce Tower in River North. Located at the confluence of the Chicago River on the famed Wolf Point just west of N Orleans Street, the tower ranked third in last year’s countdown after having started construction during the pandemic in August 2020. Developer Hines partnered with the longtime landowner Joseph P. Kennedy Family on the tower designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, the firm of the late Argentine-born architect Cesar Pelli.
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
As the final part of the three-building masterplan which began nearly a decade ago, the southern tower is the tallest of the bunch and will be anchored by Salesforce, which will consolidate its various Chicago offices into one. Rising up 60 stories and 850 feet in height over the Chicago River, it becomes the latest in a string of glass structures that have become a hotbed for office relocations. The largest law office by revenue in the world, Kirkland & Ellis, is moving their HQ to 600,000 square feet within the building, making for a nearly fully leased project.
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Its Art Deco-inspired form was said to pay homage to the famed Rockefeller Center in New York, though the massing saw changes to its stacked volumes in execution. At its base will be a new portion of riverwalk with stepping plazas and greenery along with retail and dining spaces in the multi-height ground floor. Above will be 1.4 million square feet of office space split into floors that average 25,000 square feet each, these will be joined with a variety of first class amenities like a fitness center, lounges, and a small conference center.
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Salesforce Tower Chicago office interior. Rendering by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Similar to their San Francisco HQ, the top floor of the tower will be home to Salesforce’s Ohana Floor serving as an employee lounge space in the day and venue for educational and nonprofit events in the evenings. With most of its curtain-wall cladding completed and the company’s marquee sign being installed on the crown, Walsh Construction is quickly working towards the anticipated spring 2023 opening of the $800 million project.
Salesforce Tower. Photo by Jack Crawford
Countdown Comparison Corner (Spot #1)
Rendering © DBOX for Foster + Partners
New York’s tallest construction project is 270 Park Avenue, a 70-story supertall tower will reach 1,388 feet in height upon completion. Tishman Speyer is the developer, while Foster + Partners is behind the stepped design.
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
Comparison diagram with Chicago in green and New York in orange. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
This latest office addition to Midtown East will yield 2.5 million square feet in office space and is expected to fully open in 2025.
270 Park Avenue (right of center) in place of 1000M. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (right of center) in place of 1000M. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (center) in place of Salesforce tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left of center) in place of Salesforce tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (gold) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left of center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left o center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (right of center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (right) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left o center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (right of center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (right) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
270 Park Avenue (left of center) in place of Salesforce Tower. Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
The team at Chicago YIMBY would like to thank all of our readers for a fantastic 2022 and hope you have enjoyed the series. We can’t wait until this list is filled with even taller projects. Thank you.
Model by Jack Crawford via Rebar Radar
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Glad to see my 3D Models being put to good use! 🙂
Thanks Brady 🙂 I did use yours as measuring references when modeling these!
Missed opportunity for a world class building on the best parcel of land available in Chicago. Wolf Point South should have been a supertall towering over Willis.
NYC top 15 is demolishing Chicagos in terms of height… damn makes me want to move lol
So disappointed that it didn’t end up looking like the original renderings 🙁
This is as underwhelming as it gets. I wish the Kennedy’s would have sold to a developer with world-class ambitions. A two-tower scheme with one being a super-tall should have been perfectly feasible given the location. Having the hindsight of how quickly the office space leased is proof enough. They could have easily leased another 200,000 sq. ft. of office and a luxury hotel would’ve likely been a massive success here. This site deserved statement pieces with iconic design & high-end materials a la David Childs’ original terra-cotta clad Spire-site towers.
Wow what a huge difference in scale, New York vs Chicago. New York is building some monster sized buildings!
An iconic location with a less than iconic, lost in the crowd, blue glass box trying not very hard to be reminiscent of Rockefeller Center.
With this out of the countdown next year (given it will be completed), I hope we see the Tribune Tower and Related’s twin tower project at the former Spire site added to the list.
Thanks to Jake Crawford for all the photos, models and content!
Great building
What is wrong with Chicago? Why do they like low rise buildings? A missed opportunity to build something great. Chicago like it’s downtown plays it safe and boring. The 2023 tower will probably be a 259 foot apartment tower with balconies.