Photo by Kevin Dickert
One of the world's largest office buildings, the Merchandise Mart, may be getting even more crowded. Already 97% leased, it could become the next home for 3,000 Google employees who will be relocated from Libertyville in the wake of Google's acquisition of Motorola. The tech giant is currently in "advanced" talks to lease more than 500,000 square feet, which would make it the Mart's largest office tenant. Guess this quashes the rumors of a Fulton Market Cold Storage move. The Mart's aging facade belies its increasing allure for businesses in the tech industry. "It's really attractive to technology companies that have predominantly younger staff," Matt Carolan of Jones Lang LaSalle told Crain's. "For employees who are a little older and have maybe moved their families to the suburbs, it's not all that far away from the commuter trains." As a condition of its lease, Google is insisting the Mart's ownership build a rooftop deck atop the art-deco behemoth— an amenity that would've also come along with West Loop digs. With the views they'll have, can you really blame 'em?
·Google in advanced talks for big Merchandise Mart lease [Crain's]
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