Event: Preleasing event for new apartment tower OneEleven (aka 111 W. Wacker), held across the river at the World of Whirlpool Penthouse (read: fancy household appliance showroom) topping the Reid Murdoch Building.
In the House: Brokers, future OneEleven residents, CS Magazine diaspora, Related sales staff, PR folks, someone who brought their mom.
Dress code: Business attire à la 5-inch heels and trendy men's loafers.
Menu: An unfathomable amount of food (a sampling: duck and fois gras ravioli from Tesori, salmon from the World of Whirlpool's executive chef, a dish someone described to me as "sort of a beet French toast with bleu cheese," spoonfuls of something awesome from Endgrain). Drinks (wine and beer).
Overheard: Chatter about living in the Loop, some guy calling an appetizer "bomb diggety" over an energetic soundtrack of "your friendly, neighborhood downtown urban" mix by Fig Media's Brent Rolland.
Tuesday night, Related Midwest and CS Magazine threw a bash for OneEleven's pre-grand opening a month and a half shy of its first scheduled move-ins on July 1. The event was held at World of Whirlpool's sleek indoor-outdoor showroom and gave partygoers a backdrop of the almost-completed 111 W. Wacker Dr. building from across the river.
Designed by New York-based Handel Architects, construction of OneEleven is scheduled to be completed by mid-June. Once a concrete skeleton left to rot along the river, the building has sprouted into a gleaming, blue-glassed 60-story luxury residence. The site was originally conceived as a 90-story condominium-hotel tower, but plans fell to the wayside when funds ran dry in 2008.
Fast-forward to 2011, Related Midwest (of recent 500 N. Lakeshore Drive notoriety) purchased the unfinished tower for $26 million, and the rest is what some say is "one of the more remarkable turnarounds in Chicago construction history."
At the event, Related's District Leasing Manager Joe Porritt excitedly told us the tower's 100th apartment had just been leased (and that's without a single future resident stepping inside the actual building). Rents at the location start at $1600 a month.
Brokers and future residents were buzzing about the tower's view, access to transportation and, most of all, the palatial amenities. Like a two-floor, 30,000-square-foot space boasting a double-decker rooftop with private cabanas and outdoor kitchens; a tech bar outfitted with iMac stations and coffee service; fitness center and pool; rooms for screening, billiards and parties; and an indoor pooch play area, grooming station and dog run.
One future resident told us he and his four-legged pal Monkey were sold on the dog facilities alone. Well, that and the "sick view."
This post was authored by Curbed Chicago contributor Megan Graham
·Previous 111 W. Wacker coverage [Curbed Chicago]
·Previous Related Midwest coverage [Curbed Chicago]
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