A potential timeline has been revealed for Metropolis Pointe at 2601 South Martin Luther King Drive in Bronzeville. Located just south of McCormick Place, the skyscraper development would replace a large vacant lot adjacent to the upcoming Bronzeville Lakefront proposal. Efforts are being led by JC Griffin, along with Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes, which are working on the design.
Site context map of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
Originally proposed earlier this year, the two-tower project was initially seen as out of place by locals but is now seeking to gain community approval, according to the Chicago Tribune. To that end, the team hosted its first public meeting late last week. If all goes according to plan, Griffin hopes to gain city approval next year, purchase the land for $29 million, and begin construction in mid-2027.
Rendering of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
It appears the project will now be phased, with the first phase including the majority of the large podium on the southern end of the site. This phase will be anchored by a large data center, which has raised local concerns as tensions continue to rise between the growing number of urban data centers and residents, particularly regarding electricity consumption and environmental impacts.
Rendering of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
The team behind Metropolis announced plans to work with CenTrio Energy, which operates the massive central cooling system in The Loop, to help create a closed-loop energy plant for the project. While details remain scarce, the concept involves utilizing the data center’s high heat output to generate electricity, helping offset energy use and costs for the project and surrounding areas.
Rendering of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
It remains unclear what else will be included in phase one or subsequent phases. The overall project would include a large parking garage, retail space, a public plaza and green space, a community wellness center, and a 215-foot-tall secondary tower on the southern edge of the site. According to May 2025 plans, this tower was earmarked for an AI Preparedness Institute training center.
Rendering of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
To the north will be the main tower, rising 50 stories and 560 feet tall. Composed of three interconnected fluted forms, the building will contain approximately 600 apartments and 30 condominiums, a portion of which will be designated as affordable workforce housing. At the top of the central form will be a large cutout housing a 16,800-square-foot Sky Veranda with an observation deck.
Rendering of Metropolis Pointe by Wight & Co. and Studio Barnes
Clad in glass and bronze-colored panels, the team behind the $900 million project hopes to elevate amenity levels in the surrounding neighborhood and add much-needed housing. It was also announced that the project will be privately funded, necessitating an anchor tenant—such as a data center—to initiate development.
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Soon 3 flats will have to have their own little data centers in the basement to be considered financially viable
Nice fantasy, but I doubt it will happen
From a distance it looks like a grain elevator
“ai preparedness center” lol preparing for what? the bubble to pop.
this project is DOA even if it looks cool and would be a nice addition to the neighborhood in terms of housing supply
I really hope this goes thru. There is nothing out of place about this project, I feel it fits perfectly into the design spearheaded by McCormick place and will lead into more forward leaning modern development connecting that section of the city to the rest. There are way too many underdeveloped and underutilized lots down there.
Build it!!
Hear, hear!
Looks good.
Best to be all.
Can’t say there is Disinvestment in this neighborhood if the project goes through
This neighborhood hasn’t been disinvested for the last decade or so. You can see the difference from even 5 years ago and there’s been Alot of money put into it.
Nice undergrad project. I guess they got the bronze part of the program correct?
Not placing the casino here was Mayor Lightfoot’s greatest planning failure since Daley 1 and public housing and expressway development
There’s definitely room for hotel/resort and residential mixed use development here. This will never get financing.
What about Miami Beach on the lake😎
That’s what they were trying to create when they developed Edgewater.
Really hope this happens. What a striking design.
It looks so cool. Kind of a retro-futuristic vibe. The bronze color gives it a nice warmth, and an appropriate color for Bronzeville lol.
I hope they build it!
Coat the southern exposure with green hydroponics please!
So it can be the trifecta of unrealistic and completely unhinged from reality renderings? I appreciate the confidence in this proposal, but as someone who knows real estate underwriting, I give this sub 1% chance of success, and that’s being generous. Also- AI is very shifting landscape and arguably on a path to a self-destructive bubble pop; basing your HVAC system off of a technology that is not a constant is just bad planning.
Ok!
Build it!
I would like to see it built in its entirety, but the minute projects start “phasing” is when the end product never comes to fruition. The data center will get built and a few other smaller spaces, but the bulk of the housing will not. Hopefully, I am wrong, but that is my gut. Or nothing will happen at all.
Everything about this is pure fantasy
Everything is a fantasy, until it becomes a reality. I say it will be built and become iconic at that location.