Workbox to Open Its Largest US Coworking Space

Workbox will open its largest U.S. coworking location in downtown Chicago, a 68,000-square-foot space within Civic Opera Building. The shared space suite, which will boast two entire floors, is set to open at the beginning of June.

This marks the firm’s seventh location in the metro and 13th nationwide. Last year, the company entered the Washington, D.C., market with a 29,000-square-foot coworking space near the White House, representing is 12th shared space facility.

Workbox – Civic Opera will be located along the Chicago River at 20 N. Wacker Drive, within the city’s central business district. Chicago Midway International Airport is 10 miles southwest from the transit-oriented building.

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The 44-story tower has been under Berkley Properties ownership since February 2012, according to CommercialEdge information, when the company acquired the asset from Tishman Speyer for $125.8 million.

As of February, there were 7,814 coworking spaces nationwide, marking a 25 percent year-over-year growth, a CommercialEdge report shows. The total shared space inventory increased by 15.2 percent, reaching 140.1 million square feet—2.0 percent of all office space.

Workbox’s new Chicago coworking space

Workbox’s new space will provide lounges, a public outdoor space and conference rooms, a workout facility, as well as offices and suites for teams ranging from 1 to 50 individuals. Additionally, members will have access to programming and networking events.

Built in 1931, Civic Opera Building was completely renovated in 1994 and went through cosmetic upgrades two years later. The 1.3 million-square-foot high-rise has floorplates ranging between 5,000 and 46,000 square feet and features 9,000 square feet of retail space.

The tower also comprises a conference center and a 3,563-seat auditorium, along with a rooftop terrace and a fitness center. Other tenants within the building include AtkinsRealis, Constellation and Goldwind, according to CommercialEdge information.