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At this point, 601W and its partners have yet to make an official announcement. With Amazon as a wild card, the official timeline for the Old Main Post Office renovation is still somewhat fluid. Large-scale projects such as the redevelopment of the Tribune’s 30-acre riverfront Freedom Center, Related Midwest’s 62-acre vacant South Loop site, and the phased high-rise redevelopment of Chicago’s Union Station have also been mentioned as potential candidates. In addition to other cities vying for the prize, the Post Office will face fierce local competition from other Chicago sites such as Sterling Bay’s newly-revealed ‘Lincoln Yards’ campus along the Chicago River’s North Branch.

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“This approach is achievable, real, and provides flexibility for the company to pivot to business changes, economic cycles, and other outside industry drivers in an effective and meaningful way,” Uhlir added. Though not naming the Post Office project specifically, Gensler Chicago managing principal Grant Uhlir offered us some insight about the evolving needs of a company like Amazon via email last week saying, “HQ projects of large complexity, scale, and magnitude of investment are best conceived and master planned to be developed in phases and realized over several years or more.” With its prime riverfront locale, 18-foot ceilings, enormous floor plates, and pre-approved zoning for multiple adjacent skyscrapers, the Old Post Office is perhaps the most turn-key solution with ample room to expand should Amazon choose Chicago for its second North American base. A second, much brighter spotlight was recently shed on the renovation effort after it was announced that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was engaging Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos with hopes of luring the tech firm’s lucrative HQ2 second corporate headquarters to the Windy City. So far, permits were issued for a new roof, elevator system, stairs, plumbing, and over 2,400 fresh windows. While Gensler’s Chicago office did confirm ownership of the images, more changes are likely to come ahead of a formal announcement from 601W and its partners.Ĭonsidering its high-profile perch above the Eisenhower Expressway and its many years of vacancy and decay, it is little surprise that many Chicagoans have kept a close eye on construction activity at the Old Post Office.

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These more far refined-albeit not necessarily finalized-renderings show the property’s restored Art Deco lobby plus new amenity spaces such as tenant lounges, retail offerings, a fitness center, and a landscaped riverwalk complete with food truck parking and a water taxi stop. Recent images appearing in a slide show prepared by brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield as well as the online development forum Skyscraper Page seem to have shed light on aspects of the $300 million overhaul. An early exterior rendering of the Old Post Office’s exterior and new riverwalk released in mid 2016.

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