McDermott Will & Emery LLP has signed a lease with real estate developers Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge to become the anchor tenant of River Point, a new office tower under construction at 444 W. Lake St. in the West Loop.
McDermott expects to move its largest office from 227 W. Monroe St. to its new location at the bend of the Chicago River in the spring of 2017.
Groundbreaking for the new River Point office tower took place on Jan. 15. River Point will be a state-of-the-art, 40-plus-story office tower located in Chicago’s West Loop and the first such project to break ground in Chicago since the financial crisis of 2008. McDermott will lease some 225,000 square feet of Class A office space in the new building, which will provide amenities, including a 1.5-acre public park and landscaped river walk, a to-be-announced white table cloth restaurant, retail shops, a fitness center and building conference center, with views of the Chicago River and downtown Chicago. Designed by Pickard Chilton Architects, the building will offer dramatic, world-class architecture and efficient interior design.
“River Point represents the next generation of real estate to rise in Chicago, a city known for its architectural history and prominence. We are thrilled to become part of that history as we push ahead with our move into this state-of-the-art building that is perfectly designed to serve the needs of this dynamic law firm,” said Jeffrey Stone, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery.
“We look forward to working with Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge over the coming years,” added McDermott co-chair Peter J. Sacripanti. “They have been outstanding partners in this process, and we are confident that our distinguished new home in River Point will inspire not only our attorneys and staff, but the City of Chicago as well.”
“As one of the nation’s leading law firms, McDermott had a vision for what they wanted and needed to operate at the highest level,” said Greg Van Schaack, senior managing director at Hines. “We know we can deliver on those expectations and also make Chicago proud of the latest addition to a skyline recognized around the world.”
River Point, which features a curved design, will boast noteworthy ground level signage clearly identifying the firm to its clients and prospects. The building is being designed to achieve LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council and will incorporate many custom features for McDermott.
McDermott was represented by David Kahnweiler, Bob Chodos and Steve Levitas of Colliers International and by Dave DeYoe of McDermott Will & Emery. Greg Van Schaack, Tom D’Arcy, Jim Walsh and Kevin Shannahan led the team at Hines along with Arthur Lloyd of Ivanhoé Cambridge. Ed Goldman of DLA Piper represented Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge. Pickard Chilton Architects are the designers of River Point. McDermott’s space planner is Gary Lee Partners.
