In downtown Chicago, the site of the planned Chicago Spire, at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, has sat vacant since construction ceased in the wake of the Great Recession. In the next few years, the site will be home to a new two-tower residential development, 400 Lake Shore.
The 400 Lake Shore development will offer both luxury and affordable living options at the waterfront site in the Streeterville neighborhood—the last undeveloped parcel where Lake Michigan meets the Chicago River.
The project’s first phase, which broke ground in mid-June, includes a 72-story, 858-foot tower on the north side of the site. The tower will provide 635 rental apartments, including studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. One-fifth of the apartments, or 127 units, will be designated as affordable housing.
Building owner Related Midwest also will deliver DuSable Park, a 3.3-acre park east of Lake Shore Drive and accessible via Founder’s Way—a planned extension of the Chicago Riverwalk that will be completed as part of the project’s first phase. Including the park, 400 Lake Shore will provide 4.5 acres of publicly available space.
“After a robust community review process, this development will deliver infrastructure, traffic and public safety improvements, entirely funded by Related Midwest, in addition to the highly anticipated improvements to DuSable Park,” 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly said in a statement.
The towers’ waterfall profile features outdoor terraces along a series of setbacks. Set at an angle to each other, the towers will preserve residents’ sightlines. The two high-rises are designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) with David Childs, the architect behind One World Trade Center and Related’s 35 Hudson Yards in New York City.
“The tower’s tapered profile acknowledges the historical context and environmental conditions of its site, creating vital connections to cherished public spaces,” Childs said in the statement.
The design incorporates the site’s cofferdam, a relic of the Spire. The cofferdam will be filled by August 2024, with vertical construction of the concrete superstructure finished by October 2025. The first phase of 400 Lake Shore is scheduled for delivery in 2027.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Related Midwest
Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Architect of record: Stantec
Interior designer: MAWD
MEP engineer: Salas O’Brien
Structural engineer: SOM
General contractor: LR Contracting Company and BOWA Construction Group
Related Stories
MFPRO+ New Projects | Oct 30, 2024
BIG’s One High Line finally reaches completion in New York City’s West Chelsea neighborhood
One High Line, a luxury residential project spanning a full city block in New York’s West Chelsea neighborhood, reached completion this summer following years of delays related to investor lawsuits.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Oct 30, 2024
Luxury waterfront tower in Brooklyn features East River and Manhattan skyline views
Leasing recently began for The Dupont, a 41-story luxury rental property along the Brooklyn, N.Y., waterfront. Located within the 22-acre Greenpoint Landing, where it overlooks the newly constructed Newtown Barge Park, the high-rise features East River and Manhattan skyline views along with 20,000 sf of indoor and outdoor communal space.
Office Buildings | Oct 29, 2024
Editorial call for Office Building project case studies
BD+C editors are looking to feature a roundup of office building projects for 2024, including office-to-residential conversions. Deadline for submission: December 6, 2024.
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 22, 2024
Adaptive reuse project transforms 1840s-era mill building into rental housing
A recently opened multifamily property in Lawrence, Mass., is an adaptive reuse of an 1840s-era mill building. Stone Mill Lofts is one of the first all-electric mixed-income multifamily properties in Massachusetts. The all-electric building meets ambitious modern energy codes and stringent National Park Service historic preservation guidelines.
Student Housing | Oct 9, 2024
University of Maryland begins work on $148 million graduate student housing development
The University of Maryland, in partnership with Campus Apartments and Mosaic Development Partners, has broken ground on a $148.75 million graduate student housing project on the university’s flagship College Park campus. The project will add 741 beds in 465 fully furnished apartments.
Mixed-Use | Oct 7, 2024
New mixed-use tower by Studio Gang completes first phase of San Francisco waterfront redevelopment
Construction was recently completed on Verde, a new mixed-use tower along the San Francisco waterfront, marking the end of the first phase of the Mission Rock development. Verde is the fourth and final building of phase one of the 28-acre project that will be constructed in several phases guided by design principles developed by a design cohort led by Studio Gang.
Affordable Housing | Oct 4, 2024
3 new affordable housing projects for October 2024
As affordable housing continues to grow, more projects are looking to diversify their footprint by adding mixed-use components, community areas, and more.
Mixed-Use | Sep 19, 2024
A Toronto development will transform a 32-acre shopping center site into a mixed-use urban neighborhood
Toronto developers Mattamy Homes and QuadReal Property Group have launched The Clove, the first phase in the Cloverdale, a $6 billion multi-tower development. The project will transform Cloverdale Mall, a 32-acre shopping center in Toronto, into a mixed-use urban neighborhood.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Sep 5, 2024
Chicago's Coppia luxury multifamily high-rise features geometric figures on the façade
Coppia, a new high-rise luxury multifamily property in Chicago, features a distinctive façade with geometric features and resort-style amenities. The 19-story, 315,000-sf building has more than 24,000 sf of amenity space designed to extend resident’s living spaces. These areas offer places to work, socialize, exercise, and unwind.
Mixed-Use | Aug 21, 2024
Adaptive reuse of a Sears store becomes luxury mixed-use housing
6 Corners Lofts at 4714 W Irving Park Road, Chicago, Ill., opened in March of 2024 as a 394,000-sf adaptive reuse project born out of a former Sears store.
