Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the Des Plaines River, which runs through the city just east of its downtown area.
Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the West Loop neighborhood of the Near West Side of Chicago. The station is Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also the downtown terminus for six Metra commuter lines. Union Station is just west of the Chicago River between West Adams Street and West Jackson Boulevard, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. Including approach and storage tracks, it covers about nine and a half city blocks.
The Near South Side is a community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, just south of the downtown central business district, the Loop. The Near South Side's boundaries are as follows: North—Roosevelt Road ; South—26th Street; West—Chicago River between Roosevelt and 18th Street, Clark Street between 18th Street and Cermak Road, Federal between Cermak Road and the Stevenson Expressway just south of 25th Street, and Clark Street again between the Stevenson and 26th Street; and East—Lake Michigan.
The Chicago Spire was a skyscraper project in Chicago that was partially built between 2007 and 2008 before being cancelled. Located at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, it would have stood 2,000 feet (610 m) high with 150 floors and been the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. When originally proposed as the Fordham Spire in July 2005, the design had 116 stories, included a hotel and condominiums, and was topped with a broadcast antenna mast. The building was designed and spearheaded by Spanish architect-engineer Santiago Calatrava and Chicago developer Christopher T. Carley of the Fordham Company. On March 16, 2006, the Chicago Plan Commission unanimously approved the initial design of the building. On November 4, 2016, a court ruling brought the original development plan and the extended litigation over the nine-year-old project to a close. Developer Garrett Kelleher signed over the property location to the project's biggest creditor, Related Midwest, who announced that they would not build the Spire and released plans for a different project.
Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. It was located at 201 West Harrison Street on a block bounded by Harrison, Wells and Polk Streets and the Chicago River in the southwestern portion of the Chicago Loop. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad.
Antoin Rezko is an American businessman and convict. He was a fundraiser for Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians. After becoming a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich's successful election for governor, Barack Obama's campaigns, Rezko assisted Blagojevich in setting up the state's first Democratic administration in twenty years and as a result he was able to have business associates appointed onto several state boards. Rezko and several others were indicted on federal charges in October 2006 for using their connections on the state boards to demand kickbacks from businesses that wished to engage in dealings with the state. While the others pleaded guilty, Rezko pleaded not guilty and was tried. He was found guilty of 16 of the 24 charges filed against him and on November 23, 2011, he was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.
Ping Tom Memorial Park is a 17.24-acre (6.98 ha) public urban park in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood, in South Side, Chicago. It is part of the Chicago Park District (CPD).
Chinatown Square is a two-story outdoor mall located in Chinatown, Chicago, a mile (1.6 km) from the center of Chicago just north of the main Wentworth Avenue District. Chinatown Square, on 45 acres (180,000 m2) of reclaimed land from a former railroad yard, houses mostly restaurants, retail space, boutiques, banks, clinics, beauty shops, and a handful of offices. This outdoor mall is the largest Chinese mall in the US east of San Francisco and west of New York City. In the middle of the mall, there are statues of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac from Xiamen, China. Other landmarks in the mall include twin pagodas.
The Chicago Riverwalk is a multi-use public space located on the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River in Chicago, extending from Lake Michigan and DuSable Lake Shore Drive westward to Lake Street. The Chicago Riverwalk contains restaurants, bars, cafes, small parks, boat and kayak rentals, a Vietnam War memorial, and other amenities.
Salesforce Tower Chicago is a skyscraper at Wolf Point in downtown Chicago. It is the tallest and last built of a three tower megadevelopment partly owned by the Kennedy family. The 835 ft (255 m)-tall tower was designed by Pelli Clarke and was completed in 2023. It is the regional headquarters of software company Salesforce.
Lincoln Yards is a mixed-use development project located on the North Side of Chicago between the Lincoln Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. It consists of several towers and high-rises that will include apartments, condos, office, retail, and entertainment.
725 W. Randolph Street is proposed skyscraper in Chicago designed by architectural firm Roger Ferris + Partners with architect of record Perkins Eastman. As proposed, the building will contain residences and an Equinox-brand hotel. It is one of two buildings under development in the West Loop by Related Midwest that has faced opposition from local residents. The Chicago Plan Commission approved the building in 2018, and Related plans to break ground in 2019.
Southbank is a multi-building urban redevelopment project under construction in Chicago, being developed by Lendlease. The site was originally part of a larger development, dubbed "Riverline" built by a partnership between Chicago-based developer CMK and Lendlease but the partnership was dissolved in early 2018. Southbank neighbors the other descendant project, Riverline, which retained the original name.
Riverline is a multi-building redevelopment under construction in Chicago being developed by CMK Companies. The site was originally part of a larger project, also dubbed "Riverline" which was the effort of a partnership between Chicago-based developer CMK and Australian company Lendlease. The partnership was dissolved in early 2018, and the project was split into Riverline and Southbank.
400 Lake Shore Drive is a building project in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, on the site of the previously proposed Chicago Spire development. Its plan features two connected towers with a height of 875 feet for the northern tower, and 765 feet for the southern tower.
The River District was a proposed 37 acre urban development in Chicago. Tribune Media announced plans for the site in October 2017. The site currently features a printing plant leased by the Chicago Tribune from Tribune Media and has been publicly discussed as a potential site for redevelopment. The Planned Development for the site was approved by the city in October 2018, and in February 2019, Tribune Media listed the site for sale with Eastdil Secured. The company is currently in a joint venture agreement with Riverside Investment and Development for 7 of the 37 acres at 700 W. Chicago Avenue, the now-vacant site of the former Chicago Tribune insertion plant. A large city casino is envisioned for the area.
The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), part of the University of Illinois System, conducts tech workforce development and applied research and development in Chicago. It is one of 15 Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) hubs, each of which is associated with one or more of the 12 four-year public universities in Illinois. DPI currently operates in office space at 200 South Wacker Drive, with plans to build a dedicated building within The 78, a neighborhood under development in Chicago's South Loop. DPI's stated goal is to attract individuals to Illinois tech careers and to facilitate corporate investment in Illinois, primarily through training and education and through applied research and development.
The Chicago Casino Proposals is a request for proposals made to the City of Chicago, for the first permanent casino within city limits. There were 5 original proposals. After vetoing 2, there were 3 remaining after the first round of selections. This included the Bally's Tribune site, the Hard Rock International One Chicago site, and the Rush Street Gaming 78 neighborhood site. On May 5, 2022, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that the Bally's Tribune site was the choice as the location for a city casino.
Bally's Chicago is a casino and entertainment venue temporarily located in the Medinah Temple Building, and a planned casino resort that will be built on the North Branch of the Chicago River in Chicago. In May 2022, then Mayor Lori Lightfoot approved Bally's Corporation's bid to construct a casino complex in the city. The complex will be located in the city's River West neighborhood, near Grand Avenue, Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. The plan was approved by the Chicago City Council in May 2022, and a State of Illinois gambling licence was issued in 2023. The resort is expected to begin construction in 2024, and open in 2026.
900 West Randolph Street, also known as 164 North Peoria, The Row and The Row Fulton Market, is a skyscraper in the Near West Side community area of Chicago. It is located in the Fulton Market District section of the West Loop neighborhood, amid a block of landmarked buildings. It was completed in 2023 with 43 stories, slightly shorter than the original proposal of 51 stories after a series of redesigns. It became the city's tallest building west of Halsted Street. 20% of the units are marketed as affordable housing. It was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, and it is Chicago's first high-rise built by a Black-owned construction firm.
