A first peek inside NEMA Chicago, the city’s tallest rental building

The skyline-changing South Loop tower is officially open

By Jay Koziarz Jul 17, 2019, 2:45pm CDT

NEMA’s coworking space overlooks Grant Park and Lake Michigan.

Dominating Chicago’s southern skyline, the imposing 76-story, 800-unit apartment tower known as NEMA Chicago is now officially open for business and ready to show off the first photos of its model units and extensive amenities.

The skyscraper rises 896 feet along the south edge of Grant Park and is Chicago’s tallest rental building. The stepped rectangular design from architect Rafael Viñoly reflects Chicago’s street grid and the broad shoulders of the iconic WIllis (Sears) Tower.

A photos of NEMA’s minimalist front desk and lobby.

Apartments listed on NEMA’s website start around $1,900 per month for a studio and exceed $9,000 for a three-bedroom example. Expect four-bedroom and penthouse units with unobstructed views of the park, Lake Michigan, and the downtown skyline to fetch even more.

Residents have access to a sprawling 70,000 square feet of communal space designed by the interior specialists at the Rockwell Group. Amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, a coworking space, basketball court, boxing gym, sports bar, golf simulator, kids playroom, lounge, and a demonstration kitchen.

The South Loop project broke ground in early 2017 and was originally known as One Grant Park before it was folded into developer Crescent Heights’s NEMA collection. The apartment brand launched in San Francisco in 2013 and the group is currently pursuing a project Boston.

“With the NEMA brand, we’ve redefined luxury rental living and are thrilled that the time has come to welcome NEMA Chicago residents home,” said Bruce A. Menin, managing principal at Crescent Heights, in a statement.

Stay tuned for more, including an upcoming Curbed Chicago tour.