The recently topped-out 609 W Randolph Street takes the 23rd spot in Chicago YIMBY’s year-end countdown. The 15-story, 211-foot-tall high-rise comes to us from developer Vista Property Group and is designed by Antunovich Associates in the growing West Loop Gate neighborhood. The development which replaced a surface parking lot also included renovations of the existing adjoining five-story brick building built in the 1890’s.
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.
With nearly all of its glazing installed, the 50-story skyscraper at 320 S Canal Street, aka BMO Tower, can now be seen in its final form along the Chicago skyline. Co-developed by Riverside Investment & Development alongside Convexity Properties, the 727-foot-tall behemoth is one of the city’s tallest new structures, let alone office buildings. The structure is situated in West Loop Gate directly south of the iconic Union Station, and is replacing a former parking and retail structure.
Final facade work can be seen at 609 W Randolph Street, where Vista Property Group has planned a new dual-building mixed-use development. The assemblage consists of a renovated five-story masonry building, connected to a new 15-story tower in West Loop Gate. The footprint of the tower portion was previously occupied by a vacant parking lot.
