I still think that from an aesthetic perspective that knocking down the east addition would have looked better but that is a minor squabble.

What I do wonder is that with the robust leasing numbers coming in before the OPO is even operational is where there will be plans to knock down the annex building on the SE corner and build some sort of tower accompany the rest of the complex. I'd love to see a building of 400-800feet bookend the south branch of the river there.

I really hope they keep the sugar building annex and turn it into nice loft office space. It is a beautiful red brick building and could look gorgeous with some new windows and a gut rehab. It would really be a shame to lose such a nice and pretty massive brick building considering how hot that sector is right now in other parts of town. Anyone know what 601's plan is for this building yet?

I believe the 'east addition' you refer to is actually the original post office building constructed in 1921... the rest of the massive building is the actual 'addition' and was constructed in 1932...

News today that the OPO developers cooperated with the Feds to bring down Ed Burke... Danny Solis was supposed to steer 601W to Burke's law firm, and in exchange Burke would get 601W the TIF funding they needed.

Given this, I can't believe Rahm wasn't in-the-know on the Feds' plan. Rahm pushed so hard to get the OPO developed, and he even threatened Bill Davies with eminent domain.

Wow. That's a really uncomfortable looking hot tub 601W is installing at OPO. Make sure your tetanus shots are up to date before getting in.

Thank you 601W.

Makes sense it was an out of town developer to push back.

Sorry for the slightly crooked potato quality cell phone shot, but caught them testing the exterior lighting for this magnificent beast at dusk last night:

https://imgur.com/q0pBxUah.jpg

This is going to be sooo awesome once it is done and lit up like the Merch Mart...

Hell yeah! I loved when they added LED's to the Rookery's exterior, but this is going to be a jaw dropper driving by.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...-cisco-systems

That would be a great get!

I was unfortunately out of town during the CAF Open House last Oct, but would have loved to have been able to join for the OPO tour and seeing these recent inside pictures of the spiral staircase/hot tube (haha) has me thinking that it might be possible to arrange some time to get in to check out the building. Any advice on how I might go about setting something up like that?

^ I was thinking that the other day... I keep waiting for a A/E/C or CRE industry event, but I haven't seen anything, at least in the last 9 months.

The CAF open house was limited to the lobby space (which is stunning, BTW) and not a tour. There was a tantalizing glimpse through the wall into what was little other than a construction zone at that point, but that was it.

The north lobby is open to the public, but you pretty much gotta know a guy to go anywhere else until base building completion, which is sometime around September I think.

Perhaps this had been mentioned previously, but the public "Lobby" we're referring to is not even the actual lobby. It's essentially the foyer. The lobby with elevator access and amenities for tenants is located in the "middle" of the building, through the temp partition in the north "foyer". I will tell you it will be insane. Jaw dropping. It's yuuuge, wide open space, a two or three level atrium, 50+ feet up to the deck, with massive escalators criss-crossing.

Amazing news coming out of OPO!

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/joe-...go-real-estate

Verifone signs at OPO
 

Silicon Valley firm signs West Loop lease

The Real Deal

Verifone inked a lease for an entire floor in a West Loop office building. The maker of point-of-sale payment technologies will take 27,000 square feet on the 11th floor of 601W Companies’ 550 West Jackson Street. That will be double its current space at 300 South Wacker Drive. Verifone was represented in the lease negotiations by Colliers International’s Andrew Gooliak, Nick Polsky, Romy Zeid and Evan Djikas. 601W recently launched a $12.5 million overhaul of the building

BisNow

Verifone is on the hunt for engineering talent, and like an increasing number of firms, believes downtown Chicago is the place to find it. The Silicon Valley-based provider of point-of-sale payment technologies agreed to lease the entire 11th floor of 550 West Jackson in Chicago, a total of 27K SF and more than double its current space at 300 South Wacker Drive. “Their goal is to hire about 150 engineers by next year and build a terminal engineering team here,” Colliers International’s Andrew Gooliak said. Along with colleagues Nick Polsky, Romy Zeid and Evan Djikas, he represented the company in lease negotiations. “We began with a simultaneous search in the O’Hare submarket and downtown, and they determined that a downtown presence better aligned with their hiring strategy,” he added.

^ Good news of course, but correct me if I'm wrong; 550 W Jackson is not the OPO and this agreement has nothing to do with the OPO.

I was going to say there is no way 27,000 SF is a full floor of the OPO.

Geez I wondering why I was the first to post a 48 hour old annct....:shrug: The 601 company is what threw me..