108 North State Street facts for kids
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| Location | Chicago, Illinois United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°53′02″N 87°37′44″W / 41.883932°N 87.628841°W |
| Address | 108 North State Street |
| Opening date | Commercial (July 2008) Retail (November 2009) Residential (June 2016) |
| Developer | Joseph Freed and Associates LLC |
| Owner | Bank of America (tentative sale to CIM Group in February 2012) |
| No. of floors | CBS Broadcast Center (22 West Washington) – 17 Mall – 3 Apartment – 34 |
| Public transit access | Chicago "L": at Washington at Lake at Washington/Wabash |
108 North State Street, also known as Block 37, is a large building complex in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is located in an area called "the Loop." The building sits on a city block known as "Block 37," which was its original number when Chicago was first planned.
The buildings that were there before were torn down in 1989. This was part of a big plan by the then Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley. There were many discussions about tearing down the old buildings, especially the Chicago Landmark McCarthy Building.
After the old buildings were gone, the first plans for the new complex didn't work out. Several other plans also failed. Construction finally began in 2005, but there were many delays and money problems. In 2011, Bank of America took over the property and later sold it to CIM Group in 2012. The three new buildings were finished by 2016.
Contents
The Story of Block 37
In 1829, officials decided to plan the town of Chicago. They hired James Thompson to map out the town. This map, filed in 1830, officially recognized Chicago as a city. Block 37 was one of the first 58 blocks in this original plan.
Block 37 is in a very central spot in the Loop. It's near shopping areas, government buildings, and theaters. Because of its location, the history of Block 37 shows a lot about Chicago's own history.
Even before the Great Chicago Fire, the block had one of the city's biggest theaters. By the late 1800s, many tall office buildings were built there. By 1970, the block was full of 11 buildings. These included theaters, offices, a YMCA, and stores.
In 1973, Mayor Richard J. Daley announced a plan to improve the North Loop area. Over the next 16 years, many developers planned large projects for the site. These plans often included a shopping mall and hotels or office towers.
Today, Block 37 is next to the Richard J. Daley Center and the old Marshall Field and Company Building. It's part of Chicago's main business area, close to Chicago City Hall and the James R. Thompson Center.
What's Inside Block 37?
Building Design
The original plans for Block 37 included three buildings connected together. One was a 21-story apartment tower. Another was a 20-story hotel tower. The third was a 17-story building called the CBS Broadcast Center, home to WBBM-TV, CBS 2.
These tall buildings sit above lower floors with shops, entertainment, and restaurants. In 2008, the city suggested helping Loews Hotels build a 354-room hotel there.
The main floor of the complex has clear glass walls, letting people see inside from the street. The buildings offer about 400,000 square feet of space for shops, fun, and food. There is also about 200,000 to 450,000 square feet of office space. The 38-story Marquee at Block 37, an apartment building, was finished in 2016. It has 690 apartments.
Getting Around: Transit Plans
The design that started construction in 2005 included a large train station underground. This "superstation" was meant to connect the CTA Blue Line and CTA Red Line trains. This would let people transfer directly between the lines.
The plan also included a place where people could check in for flights to Chicago's airports. They could then take trains directly to O'Hare (Blue Line) and Midway (Orange Line).
The station project faced many problems and cost a lot of money. The city and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) spent about $400 million on building the shell of the station. However, the full project was stopped because it was too expensive to finish the express airport service.
In 2009, a walking path called the Chicago Pedway opened under Block 37. This path connects the Lake station on the Red Line and the Washington/Dearborn station on the Blue Line. At first, people had to pay a small fee to transfer, but in 2013, the CTA made this transfer free.
After the superstation plan failed, the city looked for private companies to build an airport express service. In 2018, The Boring Company was chosen to explore building a high-speed train link to O'Hare. This system would use tunnels and electric vehicles, aiming to cut travel time to O'Hare to about 12 minutes. The company would pay for the construction and operation.
History of Development
Block 37 was torn down in 1989. Mayor Richard M. Daley approved this to build a new skyscraper with shops, a hotel, offices, and homes. Many people were upset about this. The McCarthy Building, a Chicago Landmark, even lost its special status so the block could be cleared.
Block 37 was mostly empty from 1989 until 2005. Several plans to rebuild it failed because of city politics and money problems. The only old building left on the block is a Commonwealth Edison transformer building, which helps power a large part of the Loop.
Maggie Daley's nonprofit group, After School Matters, started on Block 37 in 1991. They set up tents to teach art classes to teenagers. The group later moved when construction began. It now operates from a nearby building called "Gallery 37 Center for the Arts."
In 2004, the city sold the property to Mills Corp. Mills later sold the development rights to Joseph Freed and Associates in 2005.
Challenges and Changes
The Mills Corporation faced money problems starting in 2005. This led to delays and worries from contractors about getting paid. In March 2006, construction even stopped for a while.
Mills eventually sold the retail space rights to Joseph Freed & Associates. This company had also bought the nearby Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building.
In 2009, the project faced more financial difficulties. Lenders, including Bank of America, took action because Joseph Freed and Associates ran out of money. On November 20, a judge removed Freed from the project and gave the responsibility to CB Richard Ellis.
Despite the problems, a partial permit was given for the underground walking path and the first floor shops to open. Freed argued that the default was due to a technicality. In March 2011, Bank of America bought the property. Then, in April 2012, CIM Group bought the shopping center from Bank of America.
Building Progress
Early Construction
The Mills Corporation bought the property in November 2005. Construction officially began on November 15, 2005. Many businesses signed up to be tenants, including CBS 2 Chicago Broadcast Center, Banana Republic, and Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar planned to use a large part of the office tower.
In 2008, Joseph Freed & Associates announced more tenants, like Club Monaco, a Muvico Entertainment LLC movie theater, and a David Barton Gym. Puma and Zara also confirmed they would open stores. Other confirmed retailers included Steve Madden, Godiva Chocolatier, Lululemon Athletica Inc., Aveda, and Sabon.
Phase II Construction
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On July 31, 2006, construction began on the retail and CTA parts of the project. This included building the CBS 2 Broadcast Center, which would also be the main office for Morningstar, Inc. This 17-story building would be 276 feet tall. This was the first time the project went past the groundbreaking stage to actual construction.
The first phase of construction was supposed to be done by March 2008. However, money problems caused delays. Morningstar, who planned to move into the building, had to look for other office spaces.
In June 2008, the city planned to help pay for the rapid transit station under Block 37. The costs had gone over budget by $150 million. Construction on the third building, which included a hotel and homes, finally started in late 2009.
You Are Beautiful Art Project
During construction, local artists created wooden letters to put on the temporary construction wall. These letters spelled out the phrase "You Are Beautiful" in different languages. They were placed along the pedestrian walkway next to the construction site.
Project Completion
In September 2008, the 16-story building had its opening ceremony. The CBS studio inside has a large outdoor video screen. Morningstar moved its main offices into the building. The building also had a luxury coworking space on the 15th floor.
The shopping center includes stores like Bebe, Coach, and J.Crew. Lettuce Entertain You, a restaurant company, runs a cafe, food court, and market. The Muvico Theaters and David Barton Gym, which were planned for the top floor, later pulled out of the project. Apple Inc. also decided not to open a store there.
On November 20, 2009, the underground walking path connecting the Blue Line and Red Line opened. The next day, Steve Madden shoes became the first store to open in the building. By 2012, the theater, food court, and gym were no longer planned. The building was still mostly empty because stores were hesitant to sign leases due to the financial issues.
Apartment Building
In 2014, CIM Group started adding an apartment tower on top of Block 37. In September 2014, CIM announced plans for a 34-story, 690-unit apartment tower. This was described as the largest apartment tower built in the Loop in decades.
Construction officially began on October 29, with plans to finish by summer 2016. The building would have amenities like an outdoor pool and a rooftop fitness center. The apartment building replaced the earlier plans for a hotel.
An 11-screen AMC Theatres movie theater also opened in the building on December 17, 2015. This was the Loop's only major movie theater. It was Chicago's first "Dine-In Theatre," where people can order food from their seats.
On June 1, 2016, the 38-story, 690-unit Marquee at Block 37 opened. This marked the end of construction at Block 37. CIM and its partner, Morguard, tried to sell the building in 2017. Later, Morguard bought out CIM's share in November 2019.
Gallery
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Viewed from the southeast corner (Washington & State) August 25, 2007
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Viewed from the northwest corner (Dearborn & Randolph) April 12, 2007
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Viewed from the southeast corner (Washington & State) April 12, 2007
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January 31, 2007
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