Two Skyscrapers Will Finally Rise Above the Failed Location of the Chicago Spire

Two towers, one reaching 1,100 feet and the other 850 feet, will take their place in the Chicago skyline.

1 minute read

May 21, 2018, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Chicago Spire

Forgemind ArchiMedia / Flickr

Developer Related Midwest recently announced the long-awaited successor to the development site that still bears signs of a failed development infamously designed by Santiago Calatrava.

The site of the never-built Spire, as the Calatrava design was dubbed, sat dormant for years in prime real estate long lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Now, Elizabeth Blasius reports, the developer has a plan for what's next.

In a generous and surprising nod to the Chicago School of Architecture, David Childs with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has designed two sister towers in terracotta and glass for the former site of the Chicago Spire. Announced Tuesday night at a community meeting by developer Related Midwest, renderings for the development show two towers rippling upwards, set upon a masonry base resembling a rectangular photo carousel.

The development is now known as 400 North Lake Shore Drive, and Blasius includes more info on the design and development plans, although details on how the construction of the new building will address the interrupted remains of the Spire have not been made available.

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