Start 9: Waterview Tower
Cost: $400 million*

The 89-story Waterview Tower at 111 W. Wacker Drive in Chicago was designed so residents will have a view of either Lake Michigan and-or the Chicago River.

The ground break was supposed to occur in the spring but might be delayed to this summer, said Dorrie Freeman, an associate in the sales office.

The 1.2 million-sq.-ft. building will house a hotel at the base and 233 condominiums. The 26th level will be the first residential floor.

The residential floor plan is triangular, with the south wall running diagonally from the northeast to southwest corner. This creates a slender tower rising from the larger base to provide south units with views to the east and northeast up the Chicago River and the lake beyond.

The residential floors also feature curved bay windows that provide multi-directional views.

The building is topped with a band of lower and upper penthouses, and the upper floors are defined by the extension of columns.

The units range in size between 1,087 sq. ft. and 8,070 sq. ft. and range in cost from $627,000 to $6.3 million, Freeman said. In early April, at least 45 percent of the units were sold.

High-end finishes make up the residences, including marble bathroom countertops, floor-to-ceiling windows and solid core doors. Each unit will have a recessed balcony.

Luxury in the Sky

Freeman said the building will be packed with amenities, including a fitness center with swimming pool, dry cleaner, business center, hospitality center and 8,000-sq.-ft. park with dog run on the 25th floor terrace.

The hotel will be below the 25th floor, but the hotel operator has not been released, Freeman said. The building will also have parking for 512 cars and approximately 2,000 sq. ft. of retail space at the base.

An arcade on Wacker Drive will connect to the arcade of the LaSalle-Wacker Building to create a through-block connection to LaSalle Street.

The 30-ft.-high glass lobby will create a dramatic look, and a public winter garden on the Clark Street facade will feature a water wall, trees and sculpture. The residential entrance on Wacker will be discrete.

*Midwest Construction estimate

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