Work to start on C.H. Robinson’s new SOM-designed riverfront HQ

While city planners and local stakeholders continue work to craft a future land use plan for Chicago’s North Branch Industrial Corridor, third-party logistics company C.H. Robinson is content working within the existing industrial zoning as it kicks-off work on a new riverfront headquarters. Designed by Chicago’s Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) for the four-acre former site of the Gutmann Leather Tannery at 1515 N. Webster, the office project landed its construction permit on Friday.

Rendering via Chicago DPD

Developer Sterling Bay purchased the site in 2015 for $21.3 million and signed a 15-year tenant agreement with C.H. Robinson shortly thereafter. The 207,000-square-foot, build-to-suit development will house C.H. Robinson’s rapidly-growing Chicago workforce, effectively replacing their current facility at 1840 N. Marcey St.

The new four-story structure will feature one level of below grade parking supplemented by an adjacent surface lot, an outdoor amenity space, and a new trail and green space along the eastern bank of the Chicago River. The complex is expected to house roughly 1,000 employees when it opens its doors in late 2018.

Google Street View

• New construction permit at 1515 W. Webster Ave. [Chicago Cityscape]
• Upcoming Lincoln Park Riverfront Office Development Breaks Cover [Curbed Chicago]