Construction on the James R. Thompson Center is in full swing after the building’s developers on Monday officially kicked off the redevelopment project, saying it will have an “unbelievable impact” on the Loop and strengthen Chicago’s reputation as a technology hub.
Once complete, the building at 100 W. Randolph St. will become Google’s Chicago headquarters and house 2,000 employees. The project is expected to be move-in ready by 2026.
The renovation of the center comes at a time of wider transformation for the Loop. Mayor Brandon Johnson announced in April that he was seeking $150 million in tax increment financing for four La Salle Street adaptive reuse projects. The conversions would create more than 1,000 new apartments in the city’s Central Business District, bringing new use to largely vacant office buildings.
Prime/Capri Interests, a joint venture between developers Michael Reschke and Quintin Primo III, is completing the $280 million build-to-suit redevelopment under an agreement with Google, which intends to purchase the building once renovations are complete. PCI said the makeover is akin to a rebuild.
“When this project is complete, this one single building will help lift up the surrounding area,” Reschke said. “Not only will it lift up the buildings, but it also will lift up ... all the people who work, live and visit this area every single day.”
Reschke and Primo were joined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Johnson and Google’s head of its Chicago operations Karen Sauder, along with other Google executives and city and state officials.
Pritzker told Google’s leaders that it’s “an incredible investment both in your future and in ours.”
PCI will restore and modernize the Thompson Center with a new triple-pane glass wrap on the exterior, a heightened colonnade, three levels of covered terraces and access to green spaces.
The center’s CTA stop at Clark and Lake streets, where six lines converge, will remain open throughout construction. Google previously said passengers on those lines could expect a “new and improved CTA experience,” though it hasn’t been made clear what that will look like.
Carbon-free energy
In 2022, Pritzker announced that the center traded hands, inking a deal with Google in “a sale that has eluded State government for decades,” according to a news release at the time. The state, working out terms with developer Reschke, sold it to Google for $105 million, and then paid $75 million for 115 S. La Salle St., formerly the BMO Harris Bank building, where the state moved its offices from the Thompson Center.
Construction at the 1.2 million-square-foot center started a month ago when Clark Construction placed equipment on the site, and protective fencing was installed around the building’s perimeter and outdoor plaza. On Thursday, construction crews could be seen tearing off the lower exterior of the building and a portion of the atrium.
The 38-year-old state government building has long garnered mixed reactions. Over the course of its existence, three governors wanted the center demolished because of its age and high maintenance costs. State officials have said it costs $17 million a year to operate the building.
But pricey maintenance costs are expected to change through PCI’s redevelopment efforts. The developer is pursuing LEED Platinum status — the highest level of LEED certification — and transitioning the building to all electric. The Thompson Center’s internal systems will be replaced, along with its heating and cooling systems to better handle Chicago’s climate. The glass facade, which will bring a modern touch and higher visibility, will also double as a way to improve the building’s thermal performance.
Efforts to make the center a green building are in line with Google’s goal to use 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.
“With the Thompson Center, we saw a chance to revitalize the Loop, but also take this iconic building that some thought of tearing down and instead make the renovations necessary to respectfully steward it into the 21st century,” Sauder said.
Designed by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn, the building opened in 1985 as the State of Illinois Center. It’s become recognizable for its 17-story atrium and the 29-foot tall “Monument with Standing Beast” sculpture. The sculpture, nicknamed “Snoopy in a Blender,” was removed last week and will be kept at a state facility until it’s moved to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Jahn’s namesake architecture firm is leading the redesign.
Johnson said Google’s investment proves Chicago is globally connected and a world-class hub for innovation. From 2022 to 2023, Chicago saw 32 new office openings.
“Chicago is the place to be,” Johnson said.
