Tall & Urban News

Chicago Residential Project Along the Chicago River Underway

The Reed will rise to 41 stories along South Branch of Chicago River, bringing 440 residences to the 7-acre master planned Southbank community. Image credit: Lendlease
The Reed will rise to 41 stories along South Branch of Chicago River, bringing 440 residences to the 7-acre master planned Southbank community. Image credit: Lendlease
22 September 2021 | Chicago, United States

Lendlease recently celebrated breaking ground on The Reed, a 41-story, 440-residence community at 234 W. Polk St. in Chicago’s Printers Row neighborhood. The Reed is the second residential tower and first for-sale offering in Lendlease’s Southbank development, a 2.8-hectare (7-acre) master plan situated along the South Branch of the Chicago River.

Designed by Perkins and Will, The Reed features 216 condominiums on floors 23-41 and 224 apartments on floors 9-22. The one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums range in size from 59 to 155 square meters (630 to 1,670 square feet) and priced from the low US$400,000s up to US$1.4 million.

With an industrial-chic aesthetic with concrete ceilings throughout, each unit features 2.7-meter (9-foot ceilings), and floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing views of the downtown skyline, Lake Michigan and Chicago River, as well as Southbank Park, a .8-hectare (2-acre) green space at the center of the Southbank master plan.

Residents will enjoy two amenity suites, as well as private garage parking. The eighth floor includes a 1,115-square-meter (12,000-square-foot) outdoor amenity deck, with a pool, reservable cabanas, grilling stations, an outdoor kitchen, dining and seating areas, and fire pits. Indoor amenities on this level include a wet lounge adjacent to the pool deck; show kitchen; living lounge room with TVs, a pool table and seating areas that can double as workspaces; virtual sports simulation room; salon and massage room; screening room; and an indoor/outdoor fitness center.

Condo owners have access to additional amenities on the second floor, including a fireplace lounge, separate show kitchen, flexible workspaces, and an outdoor terrace on the building’s northwest corner with park, river, and skyline views.

Southbank Park features a central lawn and walkways that meander down to the riverfront. The riverwalk itself, envisioned as an extension of the Chicago Riverwalk, is programmed with a viewing platform, seating areas, natural stone amphitheater and a mural commissioned from local artist Ruben Aguirre. A kayak launch and water taxi stop are planned in subsequent phases.

Targeting LEED Gold and Fitwel certification, Lendlease has also performed a Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities Assessment for The Reed to inform an approach to climate change mitigation, part of the company’s industry-leading goal to reach net zero carbon scope 1 and 2 by 2025 and absolute zero carbon, which extends to the supply chain, by 2040.

Currently, foundation work at the site is well underway and project delivery is scheduled for 2023.

For more on this story, go to Lendlease.