400 Lake Shore

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400 Lake Shore
400 Lake Shore construction (March 2025).jpg
Construction site of 400 Lake Shore
400 Lake Shore
General information
StatusNorth Tower: Under construction
South Tower: Proposed
TypeResidential
Location400 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
United States
Coordinates 41°53′24″N87°36′54″W / 41.88987°N 87.61489°W / 41.88987; -87.61489
Construction started2024
Estimated completionNorth tower: 2027
South tower: TBA
Owner Related Midwest
Height
ArchitecturalNorth tower: 875 ft (267 m)
South tower: 765 ft (233 m)
Technical details
Floor countNorth tower: 72
South tower: 64
Design and construction
Architect(s) Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
David Childs
Scott Duncan

400 Lake Shore is a skyscraper complex under construction in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, on the site of the previously proposed Chicago Spire development. The development is on a prominent site on the Chicago River and Lake Shore Drive at the Link Bridge. Its plan features two connected residential towers with a height of 875 feet (267 m) for the northern tower, and 765 feet (233 m) for the southern tower. The first phase of the construction also includes the long awaited landscaping and build-out of DuSable Park, as a public park for the Chicago Park District at the mouth of the Chicago River.

Contents

Related Midwest is developing the project and the lead designer is David Childs, of the architecture and urban planning firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. [1] The project had undergone a number of revisions before its approval in 2020. Completion of the northern tower is scheduled for 2027. [2] An official groundbreaking ceremony occurred in June 2024.

Background

Original plans for the site included the Santiago Calatrava-designed Chicago Spire, which would have been the second tallest building in the world at completion had it been built as planned. [3] The project, led by Garrett Kelleher of the Shelbourne Development Group, fell through as a result of financial difficulties during the Great Recession. In 2010, after many lawsuits against Kelleher and Shelbourne, courts handed control of the site to a receiver. [4]

In 2013, Ireland's National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) put the site up for sale, and Shelbourne sought a court-approved reorganization plan to continue the Spire project. [5] Related Midwest was one of the creditors of the plan, and purchased the debt associated with the property in June. [5] In 2014, Shelbourne failed to make a required payment to Related Midwest, and after a lawsuit, Related was handed full control of the site. [6] [7] Related announced that they would not move forward with the Chicago Spire project. [8] [6]

Development

Planning

In 2016, two years after the site was handed to Related Midwest, architectural firm Gensler released conceptual renderings for the site, and dubbed their proposal the "Gateway Tower". [9] In December 2017, renders for the site by Zaha Hadid Architects were leaked, but Related Midwest denied these were the final designs for the site. [10] In May 2018, Related released their first official plans for the site. The designs called for a two-tower complex, with a 1,100-foot (335 m) tower and an 850-foot (259 m) tower, featuring bay windows and terracotta cladding, and connected at ground level by a podium housing two restaurants and a ballroom. The towers were to contain 300 condominium units, 175 hotel rooms, and 500 rental apartments. The designs also included the revitalization of the adjacent, undeveloped DuSable Park. [1] [11] The office of Alderman Brendan Reilly rejected the plans that October because of various concerns with the development's potential impact on the neighborhood. Reilly objected to the inclusion of hotel rooms and the scale of the podium connecting the two buildings. [12] [13] Without Reilly's approval, the project was unable to move forward. [12] [14]

In February 2019, the Plan Commission voted in favor of extending Related's zoning rights until May 2020, to accommodate for time needed to revise the project's design. [15] [16] In response to Reilly's objections, Related Midwest prepared revised plans. [14] [17] The revisions were announced in March 2020. Adjustments to the design included height reductions for the towers: the north tower was reduced to 875 feet (267 m), and the south tower to 765 feet (233 m). The scale of the podium was reduced, and the hotel was scrapped, making it an entirely residential development. [14] [18] [19] In June 2020, the Chicago City Council approved an updated design for the development. [20] [21] [22] In partial exchange for development rights, Related Midwest pledged $10 million to finish DuSable Park, matched by $5 million from the city government. [21] In addition, Related agreed to make several design changes to improve pedestrian safety on adjacent streets. [22]

Construction

Related Midwest received a permit for a construction crane in January 2024, at which point work on the first tower was to be completed in 2027. [2] [23] An official groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 17, 2024. [24] [25] [26] Workers began installing 362,000 square feet (33,600 m2) of facade panels on the first tower at the end of April 2025; at the time, the first tower's concrete frame had reached the 22nd floor. [27] [28] By August 2025, the cofferdam around the Chicago Spire site was nearly filled. In addition, workers were constructing one floor slab about every three days, and contractors prefabricated mechanical equipment elsewhere so that they could be installed quickly. [29]

Description

400 Lake Shore consists of two towers, which are oriented at an angle. [25] The north tower, which is being built first, [29] measures 875 feet (267 m) tall. [20] [21] There are 635 apartments in the north tower, ranging from studio apartments to three-bedroom units; one-fifth of the units are to be affordable. [25] [29] The south tower will be 765 feet (233 m) tall [20] [21] and have 500 units. [29] The towers will have setbacks, which form exterior terraces on several levels. [22] Each tower will also have design features similar to Chicago windows. [22] [25]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kozlarz, Jay (May 16, 2018). "Slender two-tower plan pitched for former Chicago Spire site". Curbed. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Kugler, Lukas (January 15, 2024). "Tower crane permit issued for 400 Lake Shore Drive". Urbanize Chicago. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ Kamin, Blair (July 26, 2005). "Tallest tower to twist rivals". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Foreclosure Suit Ends Dream Of Spire". October 11, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "The saga of the Chicago Spire". Chicago Tribune. March 13, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "It's official: The Chicago Spire is dead". Crain's Chicago Business. November 4, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ Bentley, Chris (November 4, 2014). "UPDATE: Related wrests control of Chicago Spire site from Garrett Kelleher". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Podmolik, Mary Ellen (November 3, 2014). "Related to Spire developer: Where's the deed?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Gensler Devises a Megatall Replacement for the Chicago Spire Site". Archdaily.com. June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  10. ↑ Koziarz, Jay (December 29, 2017). "Another conceptual rendering for the Chicago Spire site surfaces". Curbed. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ Ori, Ryan (May 16, 2018). "First look at two-tower plan for Spire site: 'There will not be a shot of Chicago that doesn't have these buildings in them'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Kozlarz, Jay (October 22, 2018). "Alderman pumps the brakes on Related's plan for former Chicago Spire site". Curbed. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ori, Ryan (October 23, 2018). "2-tower plan for Chicago Spire site rejected by alderman". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 Ori, Ryan (March 11, 2020). "Related Midwest eyes early 2021 start for two-tower, $1 billion project on former Chicago Spire site". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ori, Ryan (February 21, 2019). "Developer of former Chicago Spire site gets more time to revise plans, after proposal for two skyscrapers was rejected". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  16. ↑ Koziarz, Jay (February 25, 2019). "Developer gets more time to revise rejected plan for former Spire site". Curbed Chicago. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  17. ↑ Gallun, Alby (October 7, 2019). "Plan for city's second-tallest tower 'very close,' alderman says". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  18. ↑ Gallun, Alby (March 10, 2020). "Here's Related Midwest's new plan for the Chicago Spire site". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Related drops hotel from twin-tower resi megaproject". The Real Deal. March 2, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  20. 1 2 3 Hickman, Matt (June 18, 2020). "Related Midwest's double-tower Chicago Spire replacement scores city council approval". The Architect’s Newspaper. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Scaled-Back Plan for Former Chicago Spire Site Advances". WTTW News. June 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Rafter, Dan. "Former Chicago Spire site cleared for redevelopment with two-tower plan – REJournals". REJournals – Commercial real estate news. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  23. ↑ "On failed Chicago Spire site, work begins to build massive 400 Lake Shore development". WBBM Newsradio. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  24. ↑ Niland, Josh (June 18, 2024). "SOM's 400 Lake Shore Drive officially breaks ground in Chicago". Archinect. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Rafter, Dan (June 18, 2024). "Related Midwest celebrates groundbreaking of first phase of 400 Lake Shore in downtown Chicago – REJournals". REJournals – Commercial real estate news. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ Tiganescu, Claudiu (June 19, 2024). "Related Breaks Ground on Downtown Chicago Tower". Multi-Housing News. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  27. ↑ Dahlman, Steven (May 1, 2025). "Glass installation begins on exterior of 400 Lake Shore". Loop North News. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  28. ↑ Kugler, Lukas (April 29, 2025). "Facade installation begins on 400 Lake Shore Drive". Urbanize Chicago. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Abby (August 11, 2025). "A year later, first tower at former Chicago Spire site takes shape". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
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