The Ultimate Guide to Chicago’s West Loop Neighborhood
Table of Contents
- West Loop Today
- History of the West Loop
- West Loop Map
- West Loop Statistics
- Major Business Headquarters
- Parks and Green Space
- Universities
- Neighborhood Associations
- Local Schools, Public and Private
- West Loop Amenities
- Dog Friendliness
- Dog Parks
- Parking in West Loop
- Special Events
- Highway Access
- Public Transit
- CTA Stop Map of West Loop
- CTA Stop Map Greater Downtown Chicago
- CTA Line Map
- Metra Stations
- Glorious Restaurant Row and Other West Loop Eateries
- West Loop Bars and Nightlife
- West Loop Rental Properties
- 5 Great Things You Need to Know About The West Loop
West Loop is changing so much, so fast, and in such a short period of time. It’s no longer the “gritty” neighborhood it once was in its industrial-era beginnings. Executive Director of the West Loop Community Organization, Carla Agostinelli, claims that West Loop’s identity is in flux, but “We are not flashy. We are not hipster. We’re a very individual neighborhood with our own style. I don’t know what it’s called yet. We’re not pretentious, and we’re not super fancy, either. We kind of have our own feel.
West Loop Today
Whatever you choose to call the draw, West Loop has become a very popular place to live and work. The trend of building West Loop luxury apartments with close proximity to Restaurant Row and tech employers Google, Twitter and LinkedIn has provided the area with thousands of high-quality residences in the last decade.
The Fulton Market District is the area’s destination for shoppers, art lovers and gourmets. The district features 17 galleries and designers, eight restaurants, bars and coffee shops, the Ace Hotel and two new hotels on the way. West Loop is also the home of Greektown, where you can explore the heritage of Greek immigrant life at the National Hellenic Museum and get a taste of traditional Mediterranean food.
Just over the western boundary of West Loop, you can catch a Bulls basketball game or cheer on the NHL Blackhawks at United Center. If you’re looking for interior design help and custom home furnishings for your Chicago luxury apartment, the Merchandise Mart is just over West Loop’s northeast border in River North.
The addition of an “L” stop in 2012 at Morgan and Lake Streets provides West Loop neighbors the opportunity for easy access to nearby attractions in downtown Chicago. Residents enjoy easy access to I-90/I-94 and I-290. West Loop is also known for its green space, and we think you’ll love taking your dog for a stroll in one of its five parks.
We invite you to explore West Loop with us, and find out what it is about West Loop that makes so many people enjoy calling it home.
History of the West Loop
Today, West Loop has developed quite a reputation as a cutting-edge gastronomic center. In the mid-1800s, however, the area’s efforts were located at the opposite end of the food production scale. Chicago was a major hub of agricultural and processing and distribution, and West Loop became a hub for both the produce and meatpacking industries.
The Fulton-Randolph Market District has a rich history as one of the oldest Chicago wholesale markets. In the 1850s, the area was separated into two markets, with Randolph Street Market Hall providing a home for produce sales and Fulton Street providing meatpacking services and sales. As these areas grew, related businesses began to pop up, like barrel manufacturers, then general manufacturing made the area its home as well.
The low-rise manufacturing buildings of the meatpacking era became a draw for condo developers and restaurateurs in the early 2000s, who favored its unobstructed views of the Chicago skyline.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 affected the southeast portion of the West Loop area, having spread north and east from an area that is now the home of Nordstrom Rack in South Loop. Flaming debris picked up by a strong southwest wind landed on rooftops across the river, and the conflagration moved into the Loop. After devouring 3.3 miles of Chicago’s business district and leaving ⅓ of Chicago homeless, the fire began to burn itself out, and the rains came.
The industrial revolution took hold of Chicago during this era. Immigrants looking for work sought out the West Loop area as a place to earn a living. Labor unions grew which tried to fight for better labor conditions, including reduction of the workday to eight hours. Union members had been striking, some of whom were killed by police. On May Day, 1886, a peaceful rally in support of the striking workers turned into a massacre, as someone threw a dynamite bomb at a group of police, killing seven officers and four civilians and wounding dozens.
The Haymarket Affair had a tremendous impact on labor around the world, including creating the celebration of International Workers Day on May 1 and the U.S. Labor Day. You can still visit the beautiful Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument in Forest Park Cemetery, dedicated in 1893.
Fortunes fell for West Loop during the Great Depression, bringing industry and production to a standstill. Generational poverty set in, and by the fifties and sixties, West Loop became known as Skid Row. The area was filled with homeless men, in the winters as many as 15,000, and post-WWII, those numbers included servicemen with PTSD. Alcoholism was rampant in the area, as well as crime.
What put an end to Skid Row? Money, of course. Developers saw an opportunity to profit and pitched an idea to the city to develop a self-contained community in West Loop called Presidential Towers, a residential community which is still vibrant to date. The city responded warmly, giving the private developers $180 million in federally tax-exempt city bonds, and the Federal Housing Authority gave them a $159 million federally insured mortgage.
What went missing in this deal? Presidential Towers was exempted from the requirement to reserve 20% of its units for low-income residents. Despite controversy over the use of federal and city funds for private development, the overall outcome seems to have been positive.
Soon after, in 1988, one dynamic woman made the final difference in West Loop’s revival, Oprah Winfrey. Oprah opened her production company, Harpo Studios, at 1058 West Washington, and it served as both the headquarters of her television empire and a production studio. From January 1990 until 2011, the Oprah Winfrey Show was shot at Harpo Studios.
The studio was sold in 2014 and demolished, making way for McDonald’s new corporate office and training facility which opened in July 2018.
In the two decades that followed, many of the old Skid Row haunts fell, and new development occurred, including the new United Center. When you visit West Loop today, there’s hardly any evidence that it was once Skid Row, save for Father Mac’s Haymarket Center, which still serves people seeking help from alcohol addiction and the Pacific Garden Mission on South Canal. West Loop is now a thriving, proud community with a strong neighborhood association that seeks to influence the future of West Loop development in a way that benefits all residents.
West Loop Map
The boundaries of West Loop are Grand Avenue on the north side, I-290 on the south side, Ashland and Ogden on the west side and the Chicago River on the east side. The entire neighborhood sits within .547 square miles. Six communities can be found in West Loop, including: Fulton Market, Fulton River District, Greektown, Madison Corridor, Randolph Row and West Loop Gate.
West Loop Statistics
- Size: .547 square miles.
- Demographics
- Population: 34,574 people live in the 60607, 60606 and 60661 area codes. You will find a nearly even 50/50 split according to gender.
- Median Age of Population: 29.91
- Average Household Income: ~ $109,000 annually
- Median Household Income: ~ $80,000 annually
- Marital Status: 12,981 never married, 6,304 married. The rest are either separated, widowed or divorced.
- Median Income for Residents Aged 25-44: ~ $78,000 annually
Major Business Headquarters
Yet another major advantage of living in West Loop is that it’s now home to the corporate headquarters of several major companies, Google and McDonald’s being the most famous. Google, McDonald’s (world headquarters), Vivid Seats and Peapod are just a few of the companies with headquarters based in the West Loop of Chicago.
Google’s new digs are located at 1000 W. Fulton Market in a former cold storage facility that was built in 1923 and revamped and expanded by Sterling Bay developers. The building is nicknamed 1K Fulton and houses 650 employees. Did we mention how cool their offices are? It’s got not one but three green building certifications and uses passive daylight and an open floor plan with an industrial feel, as well as sustainable and health-friendly materials to create a fabulous work environment. Google plans to add another 100,000 square feet to its Fulton Market location, and that means jobs for West Loop residents.
Chicago was home to McDonald’s HQ from 1955 to 1971, and now it’s back with a new home in West Loop, at the former site of Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios. Also developed by Sterling Bay, the new building is not characteristic of McDonald’s branding. Instead, they went with a plan to fit into the mixed modern glass and brickwork construction of the neighborhood and to offer its employees an innovative multi-workspace and collaborative environment that employees enjoy.
Brittany McDonough of the McDonald’s Young Professionals Network gives a shout out to West Loop, saying, “The energy has changed. A big part of that is, of course, the location. How could you not love the West Loop? We are sure its 1,999 other employees at the West Loop headquarters agrees.
VividSeats markets sports, event and concert tickets and has been experiencing “explosive growth,” according to new CMO Rich Lesperance. That growth led it to lease 31,000 square feet in the West Loop in 2014, a space that has been redesigned to reflect its role as an entertainment provider. The construction firm, Leopardo Companies, went so far as to use reclaimed stadium materials that make it feel like you’re working inside an arena. Crain’s Chicago Business calls it one of “Chicago’s coolest offices.”
“The Grocery Store at Your Front Door,” Peapod, arrived in West Loop in June 2018, at 300 S. Riverside Plaza. Andrew and Thomas Parkinson founded Peapod, the country’s first online grocer, nearly thirty years ago. Their workspace centers around its cafe, and there’s lots of daylight, collaborative workspace and views of the Chicago River.
Imagine how great it would be to walk or bike from your West Loop luxury downtown apartment to work at Google or McDonald’s headquarters every day. And these four companies aren’t alone. Companies from all sectors are bringing jobs into the West Loop constantly. For example, healthcare tech company ZirMed brought 200 jobs to North Canal Street in April 2015. If you’re looking for business opportunities, West Loop is the right place to be
Parks and Green Space
Union Park at 1501 W. Randolph St. offers 13.46 feet of green space and offers facilities for those who want to swim, play tennis, basketball, baseball, football or soccer, or take their children to the playground. The park offers after-school programs, organized sports, and summer camps, as well as events like concerts, movies and music festivals.
Skinner Park at 1331 W. Adams St. is about half the size of Union Park, but it shares facilities with the adjacent Whitney Young High School, including a gym and an indoor swimming pool. The park features a community garden, an athletic field that’s used for soccer or football, a baseball field and a basketball court. Visitors enjoy playing table games in the facility, and lots of family-friendly activities are planned throughout the year like movie nights and nature lessons.
Mary Bartelme Park at 115 S. Sangamon St. is a petite 1.4-acre park that allows green space for inventive play with and without playground equipment. It’s got a beautiful fountain plaza that provides a cooling mist on hot summer days. If you have a dog, you will love visiting the sunken dog park with ramps, ledges and steps for your pooch to play, and a dog bowl designed to stay constantly full.
Park No. 569 at 1358 W. Monroe St. is a dog park with green space and bench seating for humans.
Heritage Green Park at 610-30 W. Adams St. is a one-acre passive green space featuring Grainne, a sculpture by Irish artist Maurice Harron, which celebrates Chicago’s historic connection to Ireland. Next to the park is one of the oldest structures to have survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Old St. Patrick’s Church, which was completed in 1856.
Universities
Malcolm X College (MXC) is one of the City Colleges of Chicago, offering two-year programs. It is known for its health sciences program that prepares students for a four-year degree in the healthcare field. The college recently invested in building a $251 million School of Health Sciences that now houses a School of Nursing. MXC is located at 1900 W. Jackson.
The Illinois Institute of Technology (downtown campus) at 565 W. Adams St. houses the Chicago-Kent College of Law, the IIT Institute of Design, the Masters of Public Administration and the Stuart School of Business. It is one of the five campuses in Chicago of this private university.
Neighborhood Associations
Neighbors of West Loop: The strength of a neighborhood association tells you a lot about the residents. The Neighbors of West Loop is highly active and forward thinking. They care a lot about responsible development and have even created a neighborhood plan with resident input that addresses what residents would like to see in the future in terms of parks and green space, development and land use, infrastructure, parking and traffic control and public safety.
The association also publicizes area events, hosts community social events and connects its residents to local political representatives. If you want to make a difference in the West Loop community, this would be the place to start.
Greektown: This organization focuses more on protecting the cultural heritage and promoting the business interests of the Greektown community, rather than serving a particular group of residents. This non-profit’s goal is to make Greektown a tourist destination that preserves the history and culture of the Greeks who emigrated to this community.
West Loop Community Organization (WLCO): Essentially a non-profit arm of the City of Chicago’s business interests and residential communities in West Loop, this group is a membership organization, like a chamber of commerce. The WLCO hosts events like Small Business Saturdays, the 2018 Holiday Soiree, the Fulton Market Expo and the Taste of Randolph. If you want to start a small business in West Loop, the WLCO offers a lot of resources and connections for you.
Local Schools, Public and Private
Montessori Academy of Chicago West Loop PK-8: The Montessori Academy, located at 1335 W. Randolph St., is a private pre-K through 8th-grade academy which uses the Montessori Method of teaching and learning. The goal of the school is to promote a love of learning through creativity, exploration and the nurture of the child’s innate desire to experience.
The Gardner School of Chicago West Loop PK: A private preschool located at 1201 W. Madison St., the school offers an age-appropriate educational curriculum for writing, literacy and math, as well as enrichment programs. The Gardner School works to build the social-emotional development of the Pre-K child.
Mark T Skinner West Elementary School PK-8: Voted #3 in Chicago Magazine’s Best Elementary Schools of 2018, Skinner serves just over 1,000 children from pre-K through 8th grade. Test scores are far above the state average. It is located at 1260 W. Adams St.
Intercultural Montessori Language School PK-6: This private pre-K through 6th-grade Montessori method school provides dual-language immersion with several language options: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. Multiculturalism and world-mindedness are stressed. The school is located at 114 S. Racine Ave., Suite 100.
Whitney M Young Magnet High School 9-12: Young offers a college preparatory program centered around the potential of the individual to grow academically, socially, creatively, physically and emotionally. This high school has excellent test scores and scores high for college readiness. The school is located at 211 S. Laflin St.
West Loop Amenities
What’s most important to you? Everybody has preferences and desires. You may kill for a West Loop luxury apartment with permit parking, or you may put Fido’s needs first by looking for access to dog parks. Each neighborhood that HotSpot Rentals serves is ranked by either zero, one, two or three stars to give you a feel for how closely that neighborhood meets your needs. Detailed descriptions of neighborhood amenities follow the HotSpot rankings chart.
Dog Friendliness
West Loop is very dog-friendly, with two dog parks that neighbors love and many dog-friendly restaurants in the neighborhood.
The Publican — Casual dining with American farm to table cuisine branded as “Beer, Pork and Oysters,” including locally sourced meats and cheeses and a fine local and global bar menu. 837 W. Fulton Market.
The Little Goat Diner — A classic diner with a bakery with a gourmet flair. The menu is enormous and includes breakfast, sandwiches, salads, patty melts, dinner plates. You could stay there day and night. Well, except 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. 820 W. Randolph St.
Au Cheval — Also branded as an eclectic diner, this restaurant serves everything from matzah ball soup and foie gras to chilaquiles. They boast a brunch, gluten free and dairy free menu, as well as beer, wine and cocktails. 800 W. Randolph St.
Lou Mitchell’s — Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and the best coffee in town since 1923, this family restaurant is on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on the original source of Route 66, Jackson Boulevard. 565 W. Jackson Blvd.
Wishbone — Here you’ll get southern style food with a Cajun twist. You can even get grits here, and no, you can’t get just one. They’ve got daily specials, some vegetarian options, plenty of fried catfish and Louisiana-style foods like jambalaya and crawfish shrimp etouffee. 161 N. Jefferson St.
Dog Parks
Skinner Bark Park — This bark park has Astroturf, water bowls, a doggie pool, a rock area and seating for humans with shade. Well kept and spacious, and there’s a lot of free parking available nearby. Check out the annual Doggie Egg Hunt.
Mary Bartelme Dog Park, aka West Loop Dog Park — Includes a gated dog park with water hoses and water bowls. A super park to bring the dog and the kids, as it has a huge playground. Just remember that the non-gated part of the park must be shared with non-dog owners, so be respectful to pick up after your pooch and watch where you let them pee. Pay to park nearby.
Parking in West Loop
You’ll find limited street parking in West Loop. Most parking is metered. Some permit parking exists in West Loop, but not much.
Be careful not to park in commercial loading zones. The city is converting these to paid loading zones currently. Non-commercial vehicles are not meant to park in commercial loading zones. However, non-commercial vehicles may be parked in a standing zone if you leave your flashers on and stick to the 15-minutes maximum. Standing zones are basically meant for pick up and drop off.
For those who prefer permanent off-site parking, SpotHero and Parking Spotter are great resources. Don’t forget that the ParkChicago app is great for paying meters on your phone when you can’t make it back to the paybox!
To get an idea of your options, you can use these and other available sites:
For other parking options, try Yelp. They list the top 10 parking facilities in West Loop, as well as the top overnight parking facilities.
Look out for loading zones that are not commercial. Often these zones will maintain certain hours, and after those hours, you can park for free. For example (see the image below), a loading zone sign may read “15 minutes” then “loading zone” or “standing zone,” use flashing lights 10 a.m.-8 p.m Mon.-Thurs. and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sun. That means you can park there without flashers anytime from 8 p.m.-10 a.m. Mon.-Thurs. and anytime 6 p.m.-10 a.m. Fri.-Sun.
Special Events
Taste of Randolph Street is a three-day street festival that takes place every Father’s Day. Bring your Dad out for some of the best eats in town provided by the top West Loop restaurants. Tell him to bring his dancing shoes because there’ll be music, not to mention artists and vendors. Proceeds benefit the West Loop Community Organization.
Taste of Greektown happens every fall in August and features food of the Greek culture the community is known for. This Greek party will enjoy its 30th year in 2019 and will show off its Hellenic pride with the best food and spirits from Greektown’s restaurants. Proceeds benefit the Greektown Chamber of Commerce.
Movies in the Park draws in families on summer nights to Heritage Green and Mary Bartelme Parks and includes kid-oriented activities beforehand.
Lift Off Festival: A Latin-inspired festival with urban Latin beats, food and spirits in Union Park! This was a newcomer to the festival scene in 2018, and we hope it returns for its second year. Be on the lookout!
Green City Market is a farmer’s market that meets at Mary Bartelme Park from June through October. The market is proud to offer produce from sustainable farmers.
Don’t forget to check out the Neighbors of West Loop’s website for a calendar of events.
Highway Access
The main highways that are accessed by the West Loop are 90/94 and 290. Below is a map identifying the on/off ramps.
Public Transit
The CTA has the following stops in West Loop:
- Ashland at the northwest corner of Union Park, Green Line and Pink Line
- Clinton at 540 W. Lake St., Green Line and Pink Line
- Canal & Madison (60, 124, 125, 132, 157)
- Jackson & Canal on S. Canal St. (1, 21)
- Clinton Blue Line at 436 S. Clinton St.
- UIC-Halsted Blue Line at 430 S. Halsted St.
- Racine Blue Line at 430 S. Racine Ave.
- Illinois Medical District Blue Line at 430 S. Damen Ave.
CTA Stop Map of West Loop
CTA Stop Map Greater Downtown Chicago
CTA Line Map
Metra Stations
West Loop has two Metra stations which are two blocks apart:
Ogilvie Station, Metra: Union Pacific – West, Union Pacific – Northwest, Union Pacific – North
Union Station, Metra: BNSF, Milwaukee West, Milwaukee North, North Central Service, SouthWest Service
Glorious Restaurant Row and Other West Loop Eateries
Nothing attracts people to West Loop more than its delicious and adventurous cuisine. Its history of being home to Randolph Market and the Fulton Market, where chefs could buy the freshest meats and produce continues to this day. People come from all over town to try the restaurants on Randolph Street between Halsted and Ogden, home of Restaurant Row.
Establishments in Restaurant Row like Vivo, De Cero, Girl & the Goat, Nellcôte, Grange Hall Burger Bar, Sushi Dokku and many more exciting offerings bring you a variety of cuisine from around the world. It’s a great place to restaurant and bar hop for a special evening out.
If you’re looking for advice on the best restaurants overall in the area, TripAdvisor suggests these top West Loop restaurants:
Girl & the Goat gets more mentions online than most any other West Loop eatery. Established in 2010 at 809 W. Randolph Street, Girl & the Goat offers flavorful, globally-influenced dishes from their family-style menu. If you like your meals wood-fired, braised, seared, grilled, wood oven roasted or steamed, there’s an option for you!
Stephanie Izard, Executive Chef, and her business partners Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm also own Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat, which offers “reasonably authentic Chinese cuisine,” and Goat Group Catering.
Green Street Smoked Meats at 112 N. Green St. offers Central-Texas-style BBQ with everything from brisket, pork, chicken and salmon to Frito Pie. If you need to eat your veggies, Green Street’s got ‘em — pickled!
Monteverdo Restaurant & Pastificio blends Italian traditions with Chef Sarah Grueneberg’s family heritage. What’s a pastificio, you ask? A pasta factory, of course. Lunch, dinner and gluten-free menus are available.
Oriole offers a fifteen-course prix fixe menu for 28 people each evening. If you’re looking for an elegant, Michelin two-star meal that is stunningly beautiful, Oriole is the place. You’ll find Oriole at 661 West Walnut Street.
The Publican at 837 W. Fulton Market wants you to feel like you just stepped into a European beer hall for some oysters, pork and farmhouse fare. Rustic dishes that highlight the bounty of the farmer and fisherman, accompanied by an extensive international beer selection, will fill your deepest cravings for comfort food.
Swift & Sons is an American steakhouse whose tradition honors cattle trader Gustavus Franklin Swift and is located in the Fulton Market District. Not only can you get your Snake River Farms Wagyu Strip Loin, bone-in ribeye or porterhouse, but you can get your surf with it as well. Get yours medium-rare at 1000 West Fulton Market.
Aside from the perennial favorites listed above, restaurants can come and go in Chi-town, even popular ones. Knowing that the simplest way to source a marvelous meal is to search the web. Aim for websites or apps that are reliable and that offer up-to-date customer reviews to help you pick.
In order to find your new favorite restaurant, you may want to search not only by “best restaurants in West Loop” but by either the time you’d like to eat or the type of food. For example, you can search Yelp by “Breakfast and Brunch” or “Takeout.” Searching by “Restaurants” will give you lunch and dinner info.
Here’s a breakfast and brunch example.
Reliable Chicago restaurant review sites include not only Yelp but OpenTable, Eater Chicago, Foursquare.com, TimeOut Chicago, Thrillist and the Michelin Guide. Once you find an eatery that makes your mouth water, go to their website to look at a menu.
West Loop Bars and Nightlife
A community doesn’t attract the likes of Google and McDonald’s without boasting a variety of places to let off steam after a hard day’s work. The Aviary offers cocktail exotica, the Press Room wine bar offers intimacy, charcuterie and fabulous desserts, and the Soho House Fox Bar has fantastic service and a playful seasonal menu.
City Winery offers not only wine but concerts. Lone Wolf Tavern is your spot to get 3 Floyds Beer out of Munster Indiana. Bar Siena at 832 W. Randolph is known as a “buzzy bar,” which makes sense since its closing time itself is buzzy— no specified time, just “close.” Bar Siena serves rustic Italian street-fare inspired meals by Chef Fabio Viviani. It even has a puppy patio where your pooch can enjoy, too!
For billiards, try G-Cue Billiards at 157 N. Morgan, which boasts 24 beautifully-maintained tables, homemade crabby cakes and chili, as well as their famous chicken fajita salad. Mix it up at the Emporium Fulton Market (839 W. Fulton Market), with its 19 arcade games, two foosball tables, 11 craft beers and a live DJ. For comedy, try Wiggle Room at 1200 West Randolph.
Once again, bars and nightclubs change like toppings on your favorite Chicago deep-dish pizza, so check out websites like Yelp or TripAdvisor to search for the exact kind of nightlife, bar or club you’re looking for.
West Loop Rental Properties
Now that you know a bit more about life in West Loop, you’ll want to know more about West Loop apartments for rent. We are really excited about these new properties that are newly available or will be coming soon:
Union West
One thing that really impresses us about Union West is how the architects incorporated the traditional building materials of West Loop into the design of its exterior elevation. The brick base and masonry frame tie right into the industrial heritage of the community. What’s really cool is the roof terrace that unifies the two 15-story buildings. It’s a great space to hang out with friends and enjoy a beautiful summer day in Chicago. Union West offers 358 units, all with amazing finishes, hardwood floors, and huge windows overlooking West Loop. You have a choice of studio, one, two, or three-bedroom floor-plans, including some really spectacular two and three-bedroom penthouse options.
727 W Madison
The exterior of 727 West Madison is drop-dead gorgeous, with a unique cylindrical shape. The all-glazed glass exterior of the luxury apartment building stands glittering like a jewel on the gateway to the West Loop. Its view of Greektown is magnificent. Our agents love the warmth of the interior design, with its soft cocoa-colored kitchen cabinets and brushed steel hardware. The marble tile in the bath is exquisite. Of course, you’ll get all the luxury amenities you expect, like a fitness center with yoga studio, a media center, club room with billiards and a sky lounge, to name a few.
Porte
Perhaps the most notable feature of this new, 17-floor addition to the West Loop is its outdoor amenity space on the 3rd floor. It’s a private park for residents complete with a pool, multiple decks, and plenty of green space! Although it’s technically a “low-rise”, the building takes up an entire city block. Inside, 586 units offer floor-plans ranging from studios to 3 bedrooms. Each one offering spacious layouts complete with designer finishes, and huge windows.
The Mason
Clad in red brick and contemporary glass and nestled in West Loop’s historic Fulton Market, The Mason celebrates West Loop’s historic masonic craftsmanship. Residents enjoy the rooftop sky lounge with an outdoor pool and sundeck, fitness center, and various social spaces. Upon entering each apartment, you’re greeted with plank flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping city views, and open kitchens with stainless steel appliances.
Milieu on the Park
Milieu, which means a person’s social environment, has lived up to its name at Milieu on the Park. Offering an abundance of upscale amenities and designed for social gatherings, residents enjoy a resort-style pool and spa, outdoor grill spaces with seating, fitness center, and various resident lounges. Rising at 19 stories and offering 275 units ranging from studio, 1-, and 2-bedroom floor plans, each apartment home offers dark wood flooring, in-unit W/D, sleek kitchens with stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. Situated across from Mary Bartelme Park, Fido can also enjoy the private on-site dog park in this pet-friendly community.
If you’re interested in a new West Loop apartment, take a peek at the current selection of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units.
As you can see, West Loop is a bustling Chicago neighborhood with more plans on welcoming new neighbors in the near future. Here is a list of West Loop luxury apartments with estimated openings:
- The Duncan, opens 2020
- 346-358 N Union/347-357 N Halsted, opens 2021
- Bridgford Foods, opens 2021
- 725 W Randolph, opens 2021
- 166 N Aberdeen, opens 2021
- 1061 W Van Buren, opens 2021
- 1220 W Jackson, opens 2021
- 1400 & 1440 W Randolph, opens 2021
- 1125 W Van Buren, opens Fall/Winter 2021
- 1050 W Van Buren, Spring 2023
5 Great Things You Need to Know About The West Loop
- Food, glorious food! West Loop is fast becoming known as a gastronomic destination in Chicago. From Restaurant Row to the Chicago French Market, West Loop has certainly built on its history of providing fresh meats and produce to the people of Chicago. Today, its modern menus, farm to table options, local sourcing and international influences make for an exciting and delectable fare.
- Career Opportunities. Thanks in part to the forward-thinking of Sterling Bay developers, who snatched up a ton of property in West Loop after the bubble, West Loop is attracting major international corporations to the community. Expect more companies to follow on the coattails of Google and McDonald’s.
- International Flavor. With Greektown’s proud heritage celebrated annually with food, dance and a parade, Little Italy tucked in between Ashland and I-90/94, and the many culturally diverse eateries in the Restaurant Row and the Fulton-Randolph Market district, you can’t help but feel you’re part of an international village.
- Nightlife. Though the area is still looking for the perfect dance club to move in, it offers plenty of places to relax and drink a cocktail (made by a mixologist, no less), beer or wine with friends. From speakeasy-style, intimate locations to neighborhood haunt with billiards and rock and roll, you’re sure to find a place you love to hang out.
- Business Opportunities. Not only are we seeing major corporations coming into West Loop, but we also see many future opportunities for retail businesses to move in and thrive. If you are an entrepreneur looking to stake your claim, move-in quick because, as Tremaine Atkinson of CH Distillery & Cocktail Bar predicts about West Loop, “In 10 years it will be crowded with retail and tourists.”
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