As construction continues, Related Midwest celebrated the groundbreaking of phase one of 400 Lake Shore in downtown Chicago, along with city and state officials, project partners, labor and community stakeholders. The two-tower residential development will include luxury and affordable living units on the last undeveloped parcel where Lake Michigan meets the Chicago River in the Streeterville neighborhood.

Phase one includes a 72-story, 858-foot tower on the northern end with 635 rental apartments.

Related Midwest will also develop DuSable Park, committing $10 million to the construction of this 3.3-acre park, located east of Lake Shore Drive and accessible via Founder’s Way, a planned extension of the Chicago Riverwalk. Including the park, 400 Lake Shore will offer 4.5 acres of public space, featuring a plaza, amenities, a two-story podium, and public art.

The first phase is being co-built by LR Contracting Company and BOWA Construction, the first African American-owned general contractor to co-build a high-rise in Chicago. This project will revitalize a site that has been vacant since the planned Chicago Spire halted construction following the Great Recession.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, guests signed a link beam, which will be incorporated into the new design as part of the site’s cofferdam—a relic of the Spire.

“The signatures on the link beam represent a diverse and experienced group of collaborators who have been working hard to bring 400 Lake Shore out of the ground,” said Don Biernacki, executive vice president of construction at Related Midwest and president of LR Contracting Company.

The 70-foot-deep cofferdam will be filled by August this year, with vertical construction of the concrete superstructure expected to be completed by October 2025. Phase one of 400 Lake Shore is slated for delivery in 2027.

Designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) with architect David Childs, the two high-rises will feature a distinctive waterfall profile with outdoor terraces.

“400 Lake Shore is a generational development whose design incorporates a striking, cascading silhouette and subtle nods to Chicago’s architectural legacy,” said Ann Thompson, executive vice president of architecture and design at Related Midwest.

MAWD designed the interiors, inspired by SOM’s exterior architecture and Chicago’s lakefront.

“Drawing inspiration from SOM’s masterful exterior architecture and the natural beauty of Chicago’s lakefront, the interior program elevates the splendor of city living through Art Deco elements,” said MAWD co-founders Elliot March and James White.

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