Chicago Post Office Debuts Massive Rooftop Park

The US$19 million dollar park is called the Meadows, and is now open in Chicago's Loop.

22 September 2020 | Chicago, United States

A new 3.5 acre (1.4 hectare) park stretching three city blocks is now open in the southwest corner of the Loop. But most people will need an aerial view to see it.

That's what the owner of the redeveloped Old Post Office unveiled on September 21, 2020 as its newest and highest-profile tenant perk, which stretches across the entirety of the 2.5 million square foot (232,000 square meter) building's rooftop.

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New York-based 601W recently completed the US$19 million park, dubbed the Meadows, nearly a year after opening the historic building's doors to office tenants after an US$800 million-plus overhaul. The terrace, which can accommodate 1,100 people, is the latest addition in the redevelopment of the cavernous building at 433 W. Van Buren St. and includes a basketball court, paddle tennis courts, a running and walking track, bistro and bar area and some 35,000 plants.

It's one of many amenities that helped the developer lure Walgreens Boots Alliance, Uber, Ferrara Candy and the Chicago Board Options Exchange among others to a tenant roster that has collectively leased 80 percent of the building. Now 601W is hoping the rooftop park will help it lease the remaining space as COVID-19 casts doubts about the strength of the downtown office market.

“There is no other space like the Meadow in Chicago or even in the rest of the United States,” Brian Whiting, president and CEO of Telos Group, which oversees leasing at the building, said in a statement. “The space speaks for itself. We’ve created an urban oasis that complements the exceptional tenant amenity package that The Old Post Office offers.”

Dennis Hill of Chicago-based builder Bear Construction said in the statement that the Meadows was an "incredible construction feat" that included 22,000 square feet (2043 square meters) of concrete pavers, 288 truckloads of topsoil and 5,000 cubic yards (3,800 cubic meters) of geo foam. "This stunning and expansive outdoor amenity took precision in planning and execution to deliver exactly as envisioned."

A Bear executive estimated the redevelopment of the Old Post Office involved some 10,000 deliveries of materials by helicopter onto the roof. The park was designed by the Chicago office of design firm Gensler and Chicago-based Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects.

For more on this story, go to Crain's Chicago Business.