Chicago Real Estate News & Neighborhood Notes

It’s been about 4 years since plans for the Helmut Jahn designed condo tower at 1000 S. Michigan were introduced publicly, but after a long wait and a few bumps in the road, reports are out that construction is finally set to begin on Chicago's newest luxury high-rise next week.

Both Curbed and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that an official groundbreaking ceremony will happen on October 24th, and the event has been confirmed by the project’s developers.

When finished, the tower, called 1000M, will stand 74 stories high (896 feet) and have a major impact on the city’s lakefront skyline. The building will also have 40,000 square feet of amenities, including a pool deck, fitness center, music conservatory, and a Himalayan salt therapy room.

If all goes

Even though summer is officially over, October is one the most festive months of the year in Chicago with plenty to do all over the city. Here’s our updated list of events, festivals, and fun things to do this year..

Fall Fest at Lincoln Park Zoo - Now to October 27th

This year marks the 5th year for the Fall Fest at Lincoln Park Zoo. As a family-friendly celebration of autumn, the festival features a corn maze, Ferris wheel, an inflatable obstacle course, live professional pumpkin carving, and so much more!

Event Info

Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up - Now to November 3rd

Presented by Samuel Adams, this BOO-zy outdoor experience includes the city’s largest outdoor corn maze, axe throwing, 4 full-service bars, and plenty of carnival games, food

The fall season is one of the busier times of the year for the housing market, and that's especially the case for Chicago's luxury market. As of now, here are just a few condo buildings where you'll find some of the Windy City's most expensive real estate as we approach the end of summer.

One Bennett Park

Luxury is key at One Bennett Park with its spa and salon, swimming pools, outdoor kitchens and a fitness center. Although it has several multi-million-dollar condos currently on the market, a penthouse unit tops $15 million, complete with more than 7,500 square feet of customizable living space.

840 N. Lake Shore

Located at 840 N Lake Shore, Residences of Lakeshore Park is a luxury high-rise in Streeterville. This full-amenity building

Looking for a luxury co-op apartment in Chicago for under $1 million? Where know just where you need to start your search...

1120 N. Lake Shore

The price point affords several options at 1120 N Lake Shore. The Gold Coast co-op currently has a number of residences to choose from priced under $1 million, including a three-bedroom with an impressive 2,400 square feet of living space.

12 E. Scott

Staying in the Gold Coast, 12 E Scott provides the option of an entire floor of living space for under $1 million. The budget allows for high ceilings, an eat-in kitchen, hardwood floors and access to a common rooftop deck.

70 E. Cedar

A similar priced point can also get you in the door of 70 E Cedar. The building currently offers your choice of a

The site of a proposed 12-story condo building in River North could instead be transformed into a five-story hotel. The long-vacant site was once home to a film processing company.

That building was torn down two years ago with grand plans for luxury condos. Now it seems plans have changed once again for 61 W Erie.

The property owner recently announced plans for an apartment-style hotel, complete with retail space. The revised plan for the site complies with existing zoning, meaning the city does not need to grant its approval.

As of now, the building calls for a boutique hotel with just 29 hotel suites. Reportedly those hotel suites will look less like a traditional downtown hotel and more like upscale apartments.

The proposed hotel operator is Sonder.

A new Chicago ordinance could make it more difficult for developers to push ahead with plans for condo-to-rental deconversion projects, according to reports. The City Council recently approved legislation that requires a larger percentage of condo owners to approve the sale of a condo building to developers.

Previously it took 75-percent of condo association members to approve selling every unit of a building in bulk. The new number stands at 85-percent of condo association members.

City leaders behind the new legislation say it gives homeowners who want to stay in their building more clout. They say past condo deconversion projects have led to the displacement of long-term condo owners who didn’t want to sell.

The new law comes as deconversion projects

Because Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood is so saturated with high-rise residential buildings, it’s not uncommon for some highly-desirable locations to sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Whether it’s a lack of inventory for an extended period of time or perhaps new construction developments hogging all the headlines, overlooking a particular address is much easier to do than you might think.

Despite being one of our favorite Streeterville condo buildings for a multitude of reasons, one such building that’s easy to miss happens to be situated over at 160 E. Illinois—a location that puts residents just off the Chicago River and famed Magnificent Mile.

Built back in 2007 and home to 130 individual condo residences, 160 E. Illinois, also called Avenue

Wondering where to find a classic and elegant co-op style apartment in Chicago? We've identified several co-ops in the Gold Coast buyers should consider right now.

1242 N. Lake Shore

With amenities including a fitness center, doorman and some private balconies, 1242 N Lake Shore is easily one of the top choices for buyers. Current options in the Gold Coast building range from a two-bedroom unit to a sweeping four-bedroom unit with more than 2,700 square feet of living space.

70 E. Cedar

Another top building sits at 70 E Cedar. This 1920s-era building has several units currently on the market, including a two-bedroom with 1,200 square feet of living space, on up to a four-bedroom with well more than twice the amount of space.

1320 N. State

It’s not very often lofts at 300 W. Grand hit the open market, and when you see inside this amazing River North loft conversion, you might just understand why. Also known as the West Grand Lofts, units inside this downtown gem offer all the classic loft features home buyers want like high timber ceiling, tons of exposed brick, roomy open layouts, and even private balcony space—which isn’t always easy to find attached to an authentic loft located in the heart of the Windy City.

What also makes 300 W. Grand unique are the options that are found within. On one hand, you might find a spacious 1-bed, 1-bath loft at a relatively affordable price, while on the other hand, the penthouse loft unit here is a magnificent 4-bed, 2.5 bath with all the space and

A proposal to build a 39-story apartment building, replacing the Barnes & Noble bookstore, has been abruptly withdrawn. The architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz, proposed the development which would have contained 368 rental units, a rooftop deck with pool, and 19,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.

A public meeting was held on April 11th in which neighbors voiced concerns that the structure was too tall, did not blend into neighborhood well, would block views and create parking complications. 

Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward Alderman, appears to agree with these concerns and has officially nixed the project. Another proposal made by Newcastle, slated for the northwest corner of State and Division is currently under review.

Their proposal is for an