High-rise commercial buildings

Sub Markets

Property Sectors

Topics

Chicago & Midwest CRE News In Your Inbox.

Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.

Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Office  | 
Blue Cross Blue Shield Assn. Downsizes into Aon Center Space

Aon Tower Observatory Project Sets Q3 Launch

601W Co. plans to begin construction on the long-discussed Aon Center observation deck in the third quarter, the Chicago Tribune reported. The $185-million tourist attraction, which 601W expects to generate up to $40 million in annual revenue, is expected to open in spring 2022.

That’s about a year and a half later than the opening date 601W cited when it sought zoning on the approval on the project in December 2018, the Tribune reported. In the interim, the New York City-based owner-developer finalized a 20-year agreement with Legends to run the observatory.

The two-level space will include a restaurant, bar, event space and virtual reality experiences. The main attraction will be a thrill-ride called the Sky Summit, which will lift enclosed cabs over the building’s edge.

When the space is completed, Chicago will join New York as one of only two U.S. cities with three observatory decks.

Connect Industrial Midwest is coming to Rosemont, IL on March 4. For more information, or to register, click here.

For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny

Connect

Inside The Story

Read more at Chicago TribuneConnect With 601W

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).