It was only a couple of weeks ago that we first heard that the developer of the Loop's Block 37 was resurrecting plans to build an apartment tower at the site, but new reports are saying that the downtown mall's developer has already chosen an architect for the job. According to Crain's, Chicago-based Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) has been chosen to design the tower, and plans are expected to be presented at a meeting with Alderman Brendan Reilly tomorrow evening. Despite the number of units for the recently revived project being previously rumored to range between 400-500 apartments, it is now appearing as though the total has been bumped up to a whopping 600 units, which if built, would be the most units in a Loop rental development (compared to 200 North Michigan's 402 units and 111 West Wacker's 504). Alderman Reilly is known for slashing floors and unit counts from proposals in his ward in order to reduce density, so we'll have to wait and see if Block 37 can make it through his strict approval process unscathed.
After spending a few years struggling to kick a reputation for becoming a "dead" mall, Block 37 has been making a few promising announcements lately, including signing high-profile lease agreements with local restauranteurs and hosting special events aimed at bringing foodies and art lovers through those big glass doors. Still no word on the Xsport Fitness or AMC movie theaters previously reported to be flirting with the building.
This post was written by Curbed Chicago contributor Aaron Dunlap
· Block 37 owner hires project manager, architect for apartment tower [Crain's]
· Block 37 Apartment Tower Plan Comes Back From The Dead [Curbed Chicago]
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