In 2018, Related Midwest revealed plans to build two skyscrapers on the abandoned Chicago Spire site with the help of architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM). Related Midwest’s website reads that each tower will offer “ expansive outdoor terraces that extend individual residences beyond their walls.” That project is one of two sister towers boasting terracotta accents and intricate metal detailing designed to resemble a waterfall. The neglected and satirical landmark, however, might finally be filled as Related Midwest plan to begin working on the site’s new project. It has been the source of jokes, and of semi-ironic proposals. Over the years the Chicago Spire hole has been labeled a civic embarrassment and “a pockmark”. In 2014 the nine-year-old project was formally brought to a close when Kelleher handed it over to Related Midwest despite attempts to keep the dream alive. The excavated hole was then abandoned, and there it has since remained. 2007 had seen the excavation of a 78-foot-deep and 75-foot-wide hole where the core of the building would begin, but the global economic crisis in 2008 shattered the financial support and put a stop to everything.Ĭrisis ensued, lawsuits followed, and momentum collapsed before the mighty tower had risen an inch above ground level. The ambition, enthusiasm, and dedication that had inspired the dream then met a stumbling block. Some of the most expensive pre-sale prices for studios and flats that Chicago has ever seen were being snapped up and a $40 million two-level penthouse towards the top of the tower quickly found an owner in Beanie Babies creator Ty Warner. The ultra-lavish project was unanimously backed in 2005 and, though it was soon sold to Irish real estate developer Garrett Kelleher, it was consistently urged on with rigor and excitement. A 2,000 feet tall tower was to shoot up from 400 North Lake Shore Drive, piercing the clouds and offering more than 150 floors of unique potential.ĭesigned by the Spanish architect, engineer, and sculptor, Santiago Calatrava, and funded by Christopher Carley’s Fordham Company, the dream of a modern wonder with celestial amenities never materialized. Once upon a time, it was the beginning of what was to become the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
The Chicago Spire hole was born from a disintegrated dream.
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