Work begins on third and final Wolf Point skyscraper

As Chicago remains on lockdown, construction crews are springing into action on the third and last phase of the Wolf Point mega development—the 58-story office building known as Salesforce Tower Chicago. 

The 813-foot-tall skyscraper scored its first building permit this week, and work is already underway to prep the riverfront parcel for foundation drilling, according to the project’s webcam. Salesforce signed a 500,000-square-foot lease in the 1.2 million-square-foot project in late 2018. At the time, the company announced plans to break ground in early 2020 and open in 2023.

Salesforce Tower (center) will be topped by a company logo and a communal “Ohana” floor. Rendering by Steelblue

Since construction is classified as an essential service and allowed to continue under the state’s stay-at-home order, the initial timeline appears to be moving forward more or less intact. Representatives from Salesforce and developer Hines Interests did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The planned glass and metal tower comes from architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli and will slot between the 485-foot-tall Wolf Point West rental building and the recently completed 660-foot Wolf Point East apartment high-rise. The development also calls for below-ground parking and a publicly-accessible riverwalk.

The Salesforce deal includes naming rights to the building as well as a 1,000-square-foot company logo on the east side of the building’s crown. The top level of the tower is an Ohana Floor (which means “family” in Hawaiian) and will be used as quasi-public space for local nonprofits and educational groups on nights and weekends. 

Salesforce Tower Chicago is the fourth major office skyscraper to rise near the confluence of the three branches of the Chicago River in recent years. It joins the 52-story River Point tower, the 54-story high-rise at 150 N. Riverside, and the 55-story Bank of America Tower—which opens later this year.

Thanks to Curbed Chicago

The 813-foot tower will have a noticeable impact on the Chicago skyline. Rendering by Steelblue