Renovation is now visible and in full swing for the Victor F. Lawson House, a 24-story Near North Side high rise, which was built in 1931. Located at 30 W Chicago Avenue and formerly a YMCA, developer Holsten Real Estate plans to convert the 272-foot structure to 408 apartment units, deconverted from 538 single room occupancy. Programming will also include on-site social services and ground-level retail.
New permits were issued for the Park Boulevard Phase 3B development. We previously reported on cassion permits for the neighboring building within the project this past summer. Park Boulevard Phase 3B is being developed by Stateway Associates LLC, the new construction will replace the former Chicago Housing Authority Stateway Gardens housing projects.
This week, the concrete core for Chicago’s Salesforce Tower reached its full height, marking a key milestone for the 60-story skyscraper rising at 333 W Wolf Point Plaza along the confluence of the Chicago River. As noted in a LinkedIn post by the general contractor Walsh Construction, the final height of the core stands 840 feet, falling in line with recent speculation of a 15-foot height bump. Furthermore, it appears that the final architectural height of the edifice will now be 850 feet above the river walk, once the superstructure is accounted for.
At the confluence of the Chicago River, a 60-story office tower nears its full height. Salesforce Tower, the third tallest construction project in Chicago YIMBY’s year-end countdown, will eventually stand 835 feet above the river bank once it completes in 2023. Located at 333 W Wolf Point Plaza, the skyscraper will serve as the third and final addition to the Wolf Point masterplan in River North. This larger scheme is the site of a long-undeveloped parking lot that is owned by the Joseph P. Kennedy Family. Together with developer Hines, the two parties have planned three edifices on this parcel, just in front of the former Chicago Sun Times building.
The edifice’s story begins almost exactly 100 years ago, when The Chicago Tribune newspaper held a public competition to design its new headquarters. The key guideline was to design the “most beautiful office building” in the world, with over 260 submissions vying for that title and a first prize of $50,000 (roughly $800,000 in 2021). The winning entry was the Neo-Gothic design by New York-based Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells, whose dramatic Neo-Gothic design came to fruition with the tower’s completion in 1925. The Chicago Landmark would serve as the Tribune’s headquarters for another 93 years, up until its 2018 relocation to One Prudential Plaza. Upon the departure, the property was sold for $240 million to co-developers CIM Group and Golub & Company.
