Initial renderings have been revealed for a major renovation of the historic Jewelers Building at 35 East Wacker Drive in The Loop. The now 100-year-old structure sits along the Chicago River at the intersection with North Wabash Avenue and is known for its multi-tier design, matching cupolas, and for appearing in various movies over the years.
Rendering of Jewelers Building night lighting via CRG
The 40-story tower reaches 502 feet into the skyline in a Beaux-Arts style, originally featuring an innovative interior vehicle elevator. Since then, it has seen many lives and was most recently purchased in 2024 by developers Prime Group and CRG. CRG, the development arm of St. Louis-based Clayco, and Prime Group both maintain large offices in the tower, which is currently 63 percent leased.
Rendering of Jewelers Building lobby bar via CRG
Now, the two have announced a $25 million makeover in order to attract new tenants. These plans call for a new lobby bar open to the public, a high-end restaurant, a rooftop bar on the 25th floor set back within two of the historic cupolas with private tables, an expanded fitness center, a conference center with a coworking lounge, and more.
Rendering of Jewelers Building cupola tables via CRG
Additionally, the team plans to revamp the building’s exterior lighting package in order to fully illuminate the structure and make a statement at night, as seen in the renderings above. The team has also said any plans to convert part of the structure into a hotel have been tabled, according to Crain’s. The renovations and new features are expected to open in 2027.
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That nighttime lighting scheme looks great!
Finally. Beautiful building. If the City was in better shape, this would have been done years ago and on a bigger scale, but glad they are starting to beautify and make better use of this architectural gem.
This + new L station will be a game changer in this chunk of the Loop. A big ol’ breath of fresh air.
I really want to see some repairs on the infrastructure of Upper Wacker. The planters crumbling, the concrete railings cracking. It feels tired and it’s a shame we let it get that way.
Indeed, imagine the car lanes vastly shrunk to something where most of it could be a sweeping plaza. That’s my dream. It’s basically the Loop’s front porch that presently over-prioritizes vehicle transportation. Chicago could benefit from a lot more outdoor placemaking.
Agree … the sidewalk infrastructure at Wacker and Michigan is awful and crowded. Seems like a no-brainer target for improvement given the amount of tourists and its prime location on the river
So exciting, used to look down on the Jewelers Building from my Marina City apt and always thought those upper floors and roof space should be activated!
Am I crazy or did they botch most of the skyline in their renders but managed to feature trump tower twice?
Like top pic, with Mount Chicago starting around 600 N Michigan Ave. LOL
Used to work next door at. 1 E Wacker on the 31st floor , same height as the thousands of pigeons who live at the Jewelers Building at about the same height .
How are the new plans going to combat this filthy problem immediately and long term ?
Those various setbacks and cupolas have been and continue to be pigeon housing for thousands , alongside their dropings .
How will these rodents be eliminated and controlled short and long term ?
Send in the red-tailed hawks.
I worked for 6 years in an office that occupied the entire 26th floor of that building, i.e. the first floor of the building’s final setback. In the first rendering here our organization’s smaller (and glorious) outdoor deck area was the level that is just up and to the right of where the diners are sitting at tables. This was 2005-2011. We watched some filming of the Transformers movie from there until the production crew tracked us down to say, please go inside you’re getting in the shot!
We hosted both company and public events there in all seasons but winter; pigeons were never any particular issue. We certainly never _fed_ them, and shooed them away when necessary, but none of that decking or the windows were particularly hit with pigeon poop. We did sometimes find parts of pigeons left by the peregrine falcons nesting on a nearby building, and also a couple times by male kestrels (of which one of my officemates got some great up-close photos, dining on pigeon al fresco). We didn’t see any particular coatings of pigeon poop on those corner pergolas either.
Of course that could have more recently changed, perhaps the pigeon-discouraging raptors are no longer in that part of the Loop.
Love knowing a developer is voting with their pocket book on Chicago future…. without any TIF or public money