CHICAGO | 301 & 321 S Wacker Drive | 2 x 775 FT | 2 x 49 FLOORS

[dropdeaded209]

would be interesting to see if KPF has updated the design or if they're still onboard... will be quite a stylistic shift from the cocaine highball aesthetic of 311...

[rgarri4]

"Cocaine highball aesthetic" haha love that description.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Sounds like this one is still alive:

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...ic-development

Well, that's certainly one way to read the article...

[ithakas]

I'd be happy for them to get the parking lot at 321 S. Wacker developed with this plan, but hope the 301 lot stays undeveloped until something more ambitious is feasible.

I'm generally not a height fanatic, much happier to see all the liminal areas of downtown developed over the past ten years, but 301 S. Wacker is one site that's begging for something taller than 311 S. Wacker for the composition of the skyline.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Well, that's certainly one way to read the article...

HAH, good point. The whole premise of the piece is headwinds facing tall office towers for the foreseeable future.

[Zapatan]

It does mention a higher floor count, if that's the case the design has changed / someone is still interested in building this.

Could be poor reporting though.

[BrickellBased]

Is this proposal back from the dead? Does it have anything to do with the 311 demolition article?

[munchymunch]

Never was dead Brickell, Hines was in the hunt for Chase to move their offices here in collaboration with John Murphy. They didn't close and now this opportunity came up.

I cannot be certain but now Hines who historically gets 1-2 office towers built per cycle will now look to do the same here. Just waiting for the economy to shape up and a big tenant wanting to move.

[munchymunch]

Been a while since I could make a post like this

Located at the most prominent remaining corner along iconic Wacker Drive, 301 South Wacker represents the future of work. The 800,000 square foot tower will offer expansive amenities, dynamic views, numerous private outdoor spaces and a thoughtful design by the world renowned architectural firm of Kohn Pedersen Fox. The future of work provides companies and their employees a complete experience that caters to the need for accessible, functional and sustainable work spaces and 301 South Wacker meets the demand.

https://www.301swacker.com/

[mh777]

Woah! Beautiful building. Curtain wall reminds me of wolf point east.. which makes sense considering it’s Hines. Is this an updated rendering? The website looks updated but I have no clue how to check that.

[Randomguy34]

[munchymunch]

Originally Posted by mh777

Woah! Beautiful building. Curtain wall reminds me of wolf point east.. which makes sense considering it’s Hines. Is this an updated rendering? The website looks updated but I have no clue how to check that.

Yes, this is new. Video on the website shows it being about 770~ feet

[Zapatan]

I like it

[sentinel]

Based on the site plan and a few of the renders, it’s situated on the green space/park NW of 311 S Wacker, directly across the street from Willis. It is NOT a replacement for 311.

Looks great, build it!

[twister244]

I want to be excited, but given stubborn high office vacancy rates...... A new 800,000 sq ft office tower seems a bit unrealistic right now.

I understand Class A is sexy and hot still, but that's a TON of office space to fill in this current market.

[Hudson11]

Very ultramodern. I would have thought Goettsch from the exterior, but the base and interior roofing are very in line with KPF has been cooking up.

[Briguy]

Slightly sad to lose that full sears view from the south. Only spot you can try get the full sense of it.

[ORD2010]

Seems like the website and floor plan PDF is dated to 2023. Anyone know if this is indeed 2025?

[dreamy-developer]

I hope seeing that this will be where the 311 City Park is currently that they substitute it for the parking lot to the south along Van Buren.

I'm always an advocate for green space, especially in the loop where I don't feel much of that is prominent outside of Grant Park. I guess you do still have the adjacent parks to the south that hug Ida B Wells Dr, but I'll still stick with my word on this.

edit: well now that I look again at the renderings, I see on the ground floor a proposed "Winter Garden" they have in the floor plan.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by twister244

I want to be excited, but given stubborn high office vacancy rates...... A new 800,000 sq ft office tower seems a bit unrealistic right now.

I understand Class A is sexy and hot still, but that's a TON of office space to fill in this current market.

You know.... Maybe I was premature to make this post.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...pace-bmo-tower

I post that article as the BMO tower is probably one of the few bell weather towers we can look to for guidance on whether a building like this could actually land tenants. What's interesting from this article:

The building was just less than 50% leased at the end of May, according to the most recent quarterly legal filing by a receiver overseeing the property.

Yet as of recently.....

But Kilpatrick notches a victory for the joint venture of Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties, which developed the 1.5 million-square-foot, BMO-anchored skyscraper next to Union Station during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago-based real estate firms have been gradually landing new tenants for the building, which was 78% leased before the Kilpatrick deal, according to data from real estate information company CoStar Group.

So - Maybe there's actually some hope here. Maybe what we are seeing is most of the rot still lingering in older B/C class towers that will continue to struggle for some time, while a rebounding A Class is drawing companies to consolidate into them, or lure new tenants.