Iconic Chicago Post Office Renovation Delivers New Office Space
After sitting vacant for two decades, Chicago's old main post office building is getting new life as office space.
The national historic landmark at 433 W. Van Buren Street is already 75% leased not including pending leases, according to CoStar, and will be home to prominent tenants, including Walgreens, Uber, Kroger, Ferrara Candy, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. The 2.8 million-square-foot building, which now includes a rooftop park, was transformed into modern office space as part of an $800 million-plus redevelopment by New York-based firm 601W Companies.
Ferrara, the first major tenant to move into the newly-renovated building, opened the doors to its new 77,000-square-foot space in October. The company will have about 400 employees working from its new offices.
“The move to the Old Post Office signifies growth not only for Chicago, but also for Ferrara," says Todd Siwak, CEO of Ferrara. “The city affords us the opportunity to recruit and retain top talent, and our new headquarters space provides an attractive, highly sought-after workspace."
Gensler Chicago, part of the global architecture, design, and planning firm, collaborated on the restoration of the Art Deco building's facade, windows, main lobby, and historic corridors. The design company helped oversee upgrading of old infrastructure—including lead and asbestos abatement—and the addition of modern office amenities.
“The transformation of the world's largest post office into a multi-tenant office experience is a catalyst for the continuation of repositioning in Chicago," says Sheryl Schulze, Gensler's principal architect on the project. “Our rich and diverse building stock exemplifies the need to adapt legacy architecture of Chicago."
The Old Post Office, which dates back to 1921, features a 39-foot-high main lobby originally designed by the Chicago firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, and is a “one-of-a-kind" building in the city notable for its classic style of architecture.
Redevelopment work on the iconic building began in 2016 after 601W Companies purchased the property. The redevelopment team included 27 firms, with assistance and guidance provided by the City of Chicago, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service.
The Post Office served as the city's primary mail facility for more than 60 years, but relocated across the street to a more modern facility in 1997—leaving the original building in limbo for nearly 20 years.
“The scale of the Old Post Office gave us both our greatest challenge and greatest opportunity," says Brian Whiting, group president for the local The Telos Group LLC, which handles leasing and marketing for the building. "At three city blocks long and with 2.5-million square-feet of rentable space, this is the nation's largest historic redevelopment."
The classic facade and interior of the building preserves the original architecture and much of the interior layout. The original marble, floor-to-ceiling windows, and grand scale of the lobby help to provide a sense of grandeur and charm.
Extra-large floor plates in the building can comfortably accommodate up to 2,000 people per floor.
Large-scale tenant amenities include a conference center with 10,000-square-feet of meeting space, tenant entertainment lounges, a 28,000-square-foot fitness complex, a library, a rooftop park, a riverfront lawn, a food hall, and private parking.
The vault in the old Chicago Post Office has been transformed into a cozy cocktail lounge. Preservation architects McGuire, Igleski & Associates, Inc. and Wiss, Janney, Elstner, both located in Illinois, helped to integrate the old details with new elements during the design and construction process. Construction was led by local general contractor Bear Construction.
Attention to detail helped transform the century-old building into a modern facility while maintaining its historic character. More than 20 million pounds of debris were removed during the renovation.
“We anticipate that the redevelopment of the Old Post Office will raise the bar for all commercial developments in the city," says Cailin Rogers, vice president of marketing and public relations for Telos. “This building extends the city's core beyond what was historically considered to be a convenient location within the loop. With a highway running under the building, and easy access to transit all around the building, including being walking distance from Union Station, the Old Post Office's redevelopment benefited highly from its ideal location."
