The city made headlines in February when it took control of the old Post Office building at 433 W Van Buren St (you know, the one you drive under at the eastern end of the the Eisenhower Expressway). On Friday, the mayor's office announced a bright new future for the defunct building, as it's been sold to New York–based development company 601W Companies for an undisclosed price.
The building's new owners have the go-ahead to start a $500 million redevelopment project, which will transform the historic spot into a gem and an economic driver for the city. The bulk of the building's 250,000 square feet of floor space will be turned into offices. There will also be a three-acre rooftop park that will boast a whole mess of amenities, from cafes to a running track to basketball courts (so, the city will have another amazing rooftop to chill on during the summer).
The rehabilitation and construction project will take five years, but the building will open for its first run of occupants in 2017. At that point, it could be one of the coolest office buildings in all of Chicago.
601W bought the Aon Center last year, and since then they've announced they'll be adding an observatory to the third-tallest building in the city.
In any case, we'll always take a new rooftop—especially one on the riverfront with relatively unobstructed views.