Riverline Chicago has officially broken ground and the press keeps rolling in! Blair Kamin with the Chicago Tribune penned an article referring to the project as a “riverfront revival.” This is truly the case because prior to Riverline, the site had been dormant since the 1971 demolition of the Grand Central Station passenger railroad terminal.
Today the river is viewed as a recreational amenity and the master plans keeps that top of mind. Riverline’s landscape plan, created by Chicago’s Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, focuses on “bringing pedestrians closer than ever before to the water.” Their vision combined with Perkins + Will’s design for the project’s ten waterfront buildings that will consist of over 3,600 residences, results in an impressive one of a kind master plan.
The project’s first phase includes Ancora, a 29-story rental apartment building, Current, an 18-story condo high-rise and nine 2-story townhouse buildings with the name Watershed. Kamin sums it up well by stating that “’it’s a rare thing to get a chance to develop 14 acres along the Chicago River, rarer still when that land is a short hike from Willis Tower. Done right, such an undertaking can provide a carefully-choreographed ensemble of buildings that lets people walk to work and frames lively streets, attractive parks and a continuous riverwalk.”
