The Chicago’s Old Main Post Office lobby, 433 W. Van Buren St., was revealed at an unveiling on Wednesday attended by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ald. Daniel Solis and 601W Companies.
The lobby renovations were completed and a 100,000-square-foot showroom will demonstrate the 2.8-million-square-foot building’s potential as one of the country’s largest commercial structures, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
“Today, the historic Post Office takes a major step towards its future and a brighter future for the city of Chicago,” Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. “After sitting empty and unused for decades, this iconic building is being renovated and revitalized as an economic engine that impacts neighborhoods across the city.”
The Art Deco-style lobby is 38 feet high and 350 feet long, and previously served thousands of daily post office patrons in the 1900s. The renovation included restoration of the lobby’s white marble walls, stone floors, gold glass mosaic tiles, monumental windows and light fixtures.
An estimated 15,000 people could work in the building when it is fully leased and could generate more than 1,500 construction jobs. Renovations began in 2016 when 601W purchased the building through a city redevelopment agreement. Some of the amenities will include a three-acre rooftop park and a grand plaza along a landscaped Riverwalk.
The building was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and built in phases from 1921 to 1932. It’s been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been vacant since the city’s main post office operations relocated more than 20 years ago.
The building will be considered for a preliminary Landmark recommendation by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Oct. 5. The designation would protect the building’s exteriors and lobby from significant alteration or demolition.
601W Companies owns Chicago’s AON Center, Prudential Plaza and the former Montgomery Ward warehouse at 600 W. Chicago Ave.
Brian Whiting, President of The Telos Group, will oversee the strategic positioning and leasing of the office space.
