The Legacy at Millennium Park is a 72-story condominium tower that rises above the heart of Chicago’s Loop, providing a dynamic addition to the city’s evolving skyline, while seamlessly interacting at street level with a historic landmark neighborhood. The 1,072,000-square-foot building maximizes its constricted urban site by incorporating 356 residences and associated amenities; academic space for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC); expanded athletic facilities for the century-old University Club and residential parking above ground-level retail.

The building lies within the Jeweler’s Row Historic District, surrounded by landmark buildings. The SCB design team worked with the city’s Planning and Landmarks Divisions to restore the façades of three vacant 6-story buildings on the site, and incorporate them into the tower’s base. The ground level façades of the historic SAIC building immediately south of the site were also restored. The soaring tower sets back above these façades, allowing it to fit in with its small-scaled neighbors.

The tower’s tapered floor plan maximizes the number of units with views of the skyline, Millennium
Park, and Lake Michigan. The eastern-most portion of the tower cantilevers five feet over a private alley, accenting the slender profile of the building from the Park and augmenting the lakefront views to the North and South. In order to gain additional square footage, the air rights of the existing University Club to the east were purchased by the developer. As part of their agreement, the area on the 13th floor of the tower was created for five additional squash courts for the club. A unique cantilevered bridge spans the private alley connecting the University Club’s existing squash courts to the new courts within the tower. At the 13th floor, the tower rests upon a nine-foot matt slab which was utilized in transferring the tower’s structure to the garage structure below.