This week, the “Dead by Design” series of cancelled Chicago towers will focus its spotlight on One North Wacker Drive, an 83-story office tower in The Loop. In 1989, real estate developer Harvey Walken first proposed the 1,276-foot edifice, which at the time would have made it fourth tallest in the world behind only the Sears (now Willis) Tower and New York’s twin towers.
A demolition permit has been issued for the former La Strada restaurant at 151 N Michigan Avenue, paving the way for a new three-story commercial building. The project is being spearheaded by BJB Partners, with plans for 15,000 square feet of leasable space.
Developer Sterling Bay and partnering private equity firm Ascentris have broken ground on a 28-story mixed-use tower, situated at 225 N Elizabeth Street (formerly addressed as 1245 W Fulton) in West Loop’s Fulton Market District. Plans for this 314-foot-tall edifice include 350 residential apartments atop first-floor retail. Unit sizes will be split into 66 studios, 46 convertibles, 140 one-bedroom, 92 two-bedroom, and six three-bedroom floor plans. To meet the 20 percent affordability requirement under the latest ARO guidelines, the development will have 70 on-site units for residents making up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). These units will be distributed as 13 studios, nine convertibles, 28 one-bedrooms, 19 two-bedrooms, and one three-bedroom.
Renovation work continues for the 24-story Victor F. Lawson House at 30 W Chicago Avenue in Near North Side. The Art Deco high rise was originally designed by Perkins, Chatten & Hammond and completed in 1931. Developer Holsten Real Estate will be deconverting the former YMCA from 538 single room occupancy units into 408 affordable apartments. In exchange for keeping all on-site units affordable until at least 2073, the project received both low income housing tax credits and $12.4 million in historic preservation tax credits.
Crown installation can be seen for the 60-story Salesforce Tower at 333 W Wolf Point Plaza in River North. The mixed-use, primarily office tower is the third and final phase of the Wolf Point masterplan, developed by Hines in partnership with the longtime landowner Joseph P. Kennedy Family. At a height of 850 feet, the tower makes a substantial appearance on the northwest corner of the skyline, particularly when looking southeast along the Kennedy Expressway.
