Long-Vacant Chicago Land Parcel Finally Gets A Project

Ground was recently broken at 108 North State Street for a mixed-use and transit project planned for Chicago's long-vacant downtown Block 37. The development will feature 400,000 sf of retail, entertainment, and dining, a broadcast facility, an airport transit station, and an office tower. New York-based Gensler (ranked #1 among architecture firms in BD&C's Giants 300 report) designed the retail, entertainment, and transit portions of the project. Perkins + Will of Chicago (ranked third among architecture firms in the Giants 300) will be the architect of record for the office tower, which will include a CBS local-affiliate broadcast center, an all-digital HD-ready facility designed by Goettsch Partners, Chicago. Rockwell Group of New York is designing the finishes, graphic design, and a directional signage program for the retail, dining, and entertainment component of the project. The CBS Chicago studio and office tower are expected to be completed in late 2007; the retail, dining, and entertainment components are estimated to be completed by spring 2008. W.E. O'Neil, Chicago, is the general contractor.