River North’s One Chicago Square project scores first construction permit

Less than a month after beginning demolition work, construction crews are ready to start in earnest on the massive One Chicago Square development across the street from Holy Name Cathedral.

On Monday, April 15, the city issued a $46 million building permit for the project’s foundation and a four-level, 865-car underground parking garage, according to Chicago Cityscape. As of Tuesday morning, caisson drilling rigs and liner tubes were already on-site, preparing to dig in.

Goettsch Partners/Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture

Replacing Holy Name’s sprawling parking lot and a cluster of older buildings, the One Chicago Square development will completely transform the River North block bordered by State Street, Superior, Dearborn, and Chicago Avenue.

The $850 million complex calls for a pair of residential towers rising 969 and 574 feet atop a shared podium containing offices and retail spaces anchored by a Whole Foods Market and Life Time Athletic club. The project comes from JDL Developments and design firms Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.

Construction is expected to take up to 42 months, according to an email notice from 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins. When complete, One Chicago Square will form a new glassy peak on the city’s iconic but still evolving skyline.

Jay Koziarz

Jay Koziarz