Before The Rookery building housed offices and retail shops under its stunning skylight roof, it was home to the water works facility that managed the South Loop. Then it was Chicago’s first public library, although now bookshelves are only found on the rarely open Burnham Library of the eleventh floor. City Hall even occupied the space for a short time and today it’s known as the city’s oldest high rise.
The 12-story building was designed by Burnham & Root in 1888, and since many of their buildings were demolished, it was important to preserve this one. That’s why the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1972, three years later it was named a National Historic Landmark. Frank Lloyd Wright got his hands on the building’s lobby in his 1905 renovation. He replaced some of the outdated ornate ironwork with strong geometric shapes, marble and bronze chandeliers with prismatic glass that still hang there today.
Eric Myers, part of the Transwestern team recently selected to lease the building, has a history with the building too. More than 15 years earlier, he leased the space while the building was under different ownership.
“When a lease becomes available here, tenants come out of the woodwork because it is such a beloved icon and there’s nothing else like it. I’m very excited to be back here, everyone on the team is,” Myers told RE Journals. “It’s interesting to be back because tenants were using the space very differently 15 years ago. Now most users have completely open space and really take advantage of all the natural light in the building.”
There is an incredible amount of natural light that floats through the building, one of Myers favorite features, because of the light court that allows daylight to filter down to interior offices. One of the building’s most iconic features, the Oriel Staircase, winds up from the second floor to the twelfth to “meet at a landing in the sky” as Henry Van Brunt, an architect of Burnham’s time, said of the space. Nearly everything, from the grand staircases to the interior offices has Some of the tenants lucky enough to be in the building, which is about 82 percent leased, include Brooks Brothers, U.S. Bank, Verizon Wireless and Potbelly Sandwich Works.
The current owners, S. Boehme & Co. purchased the building in 2007 have invested greatly in the building since then making 21st century upgrades. Some of those include bathrooms with high-end finishes, a bike room with lockers and shower rooms, exterior LED lighting and other energy-saving upgrades. Myers said that the top floor of the building, a 20,000-square-foot space with three private outdoor patios, will be ready to market next year. He added, having a private patio, or three in this case, is something tenants rarely come across.
One renovation Myers is particularly excited about is the massive upgrade to the elevator systems—soon the building will have destination control elevators. Employees will be able to swipe their key card, step on an elevator and ride to their floor. No buttons necessary. An updated conference center and fitness area are also in the works, according to Myers.
“What’s great is that the owners are eager to continually upgrade the building. This isn’t someone who is going to sell, it’s not going to change hands. That’s good for tenants because they always know who the landlord will and partner will be,” Myers said. “Some people come in and the renovations they do are just lipstick—these are lasting upgrades.”
Leasing an unusual building or working a particularly interesting deal? Contact our staff writer Sara Freund at [email protected] with story ideas or tips that could be featured in our weekly series.
