Google's highly anticipated move into the heart of the Loop will be delayed by a year as the redevelopment of the Thompson Center marches on.
:quality(75))
The tech giant had targeted early 2027 to move into the renovated building but announced in a blog post on Wednesday that it now plans to "officially open our doors to Googlers, tenants and the public in 2028." The company did not give a reason for the delay.
Many in CRE have envisioned the project as a potential shot in the arm for downtown Chicago, alongside office-to-residential conversions on the LaSalle Street corridor. The city will have to wait a bit longer to see the impact of a move years in the making.
This isn't the first time Google has pushed back the opening of the Thompson Center. When the company initially announced plans in 2022 to set up shop at the center, it targeted a 2026 move-in date.
In Wednesday's announcement, Google also unveiled new renderings for the building's atrium. It also selected artist Sanford Biggers to create a sculpture for the building's plaza.
:quality(75))
Google, which reached an agreement to buy the redeveloped building in July 2022 for $105M, is expected to take at least 600K SF of the 954K SF of renovated space. The company is expected to offer up the remaining 354K SF available for lease to other tenants.
In March, Google tapped CBRE to handle office leasing at the Thompson Center and Savills to handle retail leasing.
Construction on the building designed by famed architect Helmut Jahn began in May 2024. A joint venture of The Prime Group and Capri Investment Group is working on the Thompson Center redevelopment.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)