Welcome to the countdown. Last December, we showcased Chicago’s tallest 31 buildings either in-planning or under construction. To align with New York and Philadelphia YIMBY (for all you comparison fanatics), we’re narrowing the scope for this second round to include only projects under construction. More specifically, we’ve applied the following parameters:
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.
With most of the exterior work nearing a conclusion, the final look of the 15-story 609 W Randolph Street is materializing in West Loop Gate. Most of the remaining glass has been installed since YIMBY’s last update, and the only major architectural feature awaiting installation is a series of V-shaped metal trusses clinging to the third through fifth floors.
The Chicago City Council has approved two developments consisting of three buildings in the West Loop. The two include the life-science high-rise at 400 N Elizabeth Street and a pair of mixed-use skyscrapers at 315 N May Street and 1112 W Carroll Avenue. The two approvals mark a move forward in densifying the western edge of the rapidly growing neighborhood and brings both a step closer to the groundbreaking. As the post-pandemic demand continues to be unpredictable, the two will join millions of square feet of office space and thousands of residential units being delivered and proposed in the area.
Revised plans have been revealed for the Auburn Gresham Invest South/West proposal to the Committee on Design. Split into two sites at 757 W 79th Street and 838 W 79th Street, developers Evergreen Real Estate and Imagine Group have teamed up with Ross Barney Architects and Nia Architects to revise the previously single site project to its new iteration. The project is one of the winners announced this spring from a 2020 RFP of the growing Invest South/West initiative and will offer affordable residential units to the neighborhood.
