{"id":1004165904,"date":"2017-02-03T03:28:58","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T11:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004165904"},"modified":"2022-12-08T17:59:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T01:59:32","slug":"iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Chicago High-Rise Slated for $500M Revamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Chicago<\/strong>\u2014Blackstone and Equity Office will transform Willis Tower in downtown Chicago thanks to a $500 million investment, reinforcing the iconic tower as a civic destination and a premier workplace in the area.<\/p>\n

\"Willis<\/a>

Willis Tower in Chicago<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWillis Tower will be transformed into an enviable workplace with unprecedented office amenities, and unique retail and entertainment experiences,\u201d Paul Kurzawa, Equity Office\u2019s managing director-development, who is overseeing the redevelopment, told Commercial Property Executive<\/em>. \u201cWe are delivering over 150,000-square-feet of new office tenant amenities, bringing them closer to the office tenants and their guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the transformation, approximately 460,000 square feet of existing space within the Tower will be reconfigured, including 150,000 square feet of space for exclusive tenant use, including a full-service fitness center, expansive tenant lounges, private event space and concierge services.<\/p>\n

The plan also calls for more than 300,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space to be added to the base of the building, and a new 30,000-square-foot outdoor deck and garden space.<\/p>\n

Designed in the 1960s, Willis Tower was built atop a base to separate the urban streetscape from the building, and to minimize the number of people walking along the sidewalk. The project will mark the first major renovation in the building\u2019s 43-year history, creating a modernized Willis Tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transformation at Willis Tower is focused on increasing the quality of life for the people of Chicago,\u201d Kurzawa said. \u201cWe\u2019re also putting together a collection of quick-serve dining and restaurants, fresh food markets, caf\u00e9\u2019s and cool bars that will provide office workers and visitors a selection of Chicago grown, national and international first-to-market offerings that will be only found at Willis Tower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the investment will focus on enhancing the Tower\u2019s 103rd\u00a0floor Skydeck Chicago experience, which currently welcomes 1.7 million national and international visitors annually, to create a world class and one-of-a-kind family entertainment experience. That work is scheduled to begin this month, and will create an additional 2,500 jobs.<\/p>\n

According to Kurzawa, once complete in the summer of 2019, the iconic skyscraper will re-energize Chicago\u2019s central business district, creating a lively neighborhood center where people will work, congregate, spend time and enjoy the best of the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blackstone and Equity Office are planning to transform Willis Tower into a lively neighborhood center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":451,"featured_media":1004165905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1491,21808,21783,13,21752,21742,21747],"tags":[32892,33781,33824],"class_list":["post-1004165904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago","category-featured","category-investment","category-midwest","category-mixed-use","category-latest","category-office","tag-blackstone","tag-equity-office","tag-willis-tower"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIconic Chicago High-Rise Slated for $500M Revamp - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iconic Chicago High-Rise Slated for $500M Revamp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blackstone and Equity Office are planning to transform Willis Tower into a lively neighborhood center.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-03T11:28:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-09T01:59:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2017\/02\/Northeast-Corner-of-Willis-Tower-in-Chicago.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Keith Loria\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/iconic-chicago-high-rise-slated-for-500m-revamp\/\",\"name\":\"Iconic Chicago High-Rise Slated for $500M Revamp - 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