Upcoming South Loop apartment tower gets new name and updated renderings

Previously known as Ancora, ‘The Cooper at Southbank’ is racing towards a fall completion date

By Jay Koziarz May 31, 2018, 11:40am CDT

A rendering of the tower’s 29th-floor clubroom.

The developer behind a 29-story rental tower under construction in along the South Branch of the Chicago River revealed a new name and renderings for the project as well as plans to start pre-leasing its apartments in the coming days.

Previously known as Ancora at Riverline, the high-rise at 720 S. Wells will now be known as The Cooper at Southbank. The change comes on the heels of co-developers Lendlease and CMK deciding to part ways and split the 14-acre Riverline parcel into two pieces.

In a somewhat counterintuitive move, Lendlease chose the Southbank name for the northern portion of the site. CMK will continue to use the Riverline name for the southern half of the waterfront megadevelopment.

The Cooper at Southbank will feature 452 rental units, including 26 town-house-style apartments, as well as new retail space and garage parking for 230 vehicles.

The building will offer its residents 11,000 square feet of amenities such as a gym, demonstration kitchen, musical “jam room,” virtual sports simulation room, bocce court, outdoor screening room, and a rooftop pool deck.

Under construction since 2016, the newly renamed tower comes from architect Perkins + Will and is the first of five residential high-rises slated for the seven-acre Southbank parcel. The multi-phase development is zoned for up to 2,700 units and will feature two acres of open space with a public riverwalk component.

Leadlease announced that it will begin pre-leasing units in The Cooper in June and aims to welcome residents in September. The project is the first to be both constructed and developed by multinational builder.