Aqua (skyscraper)

Illinois Center is a mixed-use urban development in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, lying east of Michigan Avenue. It is notable in that the streets running through it have three levels. Elsewhere in Chicago, some streets have two levels, with the lower level for through traffic and service vehicles and the upper level for other local traffic. In Illinois Center, the lower level has been split, with a middle level for through traffic and a lower level for service vehicles. The development was built on land that had formerly been used for railroad yards by the Illinois Central Railroad, which merged into the Canadian National Railway in 1999. The earliest building is One Illinois Center designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1970. The west half of the rail yards were built out first; the east half was for a time turned into a temporary golf course on the lowest level, where the rail yards had been. The golf course has since been turned into a park, now surrounded by an urban village of high-rise buildings called Lakeshore East. The development consists of four blocks with a large area to the east. It is bounded on the west by Michigan Avenue, which has two levels. Just east of that road, the upper level rises to become a higher third level, only accessible on the west edge of the development and at the east end of Upper Wacker Drive. Stetson Avenue and Columbus Drive run north-south, and Lake Street, South Water Street, and Wacker Drive run east-west. Randolph Street lies a block south of the main part, and forms the south border of the east half. All of these streets are at least partly triple-decker. In the south half of the complex, the Metra Electric Lines and the South Shore Line terminate, halfway between Michigan and Stetson Avenues, at Millennium Station. An additional structure, Boulevard Towers East an 80-story mixed-use building was planned on the west side of Stetson between South Water and Lake Street but was cancelled. The site of this proposed building is the last remaining vacant lot in the Illinois Center complex, referred to by locals as the "Political Graveyard". Also proposed for this site was Mandarin Oriental Chicago. On February 18, 2009, a report in Crain's Chicago Business stated that a New York-based lender had filed a foreclosure suit against the developer, that the sale's center was closed and building units were no longer being marketed through the Multiple Listing Service. The project is no longer listed on the developer's website. One Prudential Plaza, Two Prudential Plaza and the Aon Center are in the blocks south of the main part.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (BCBS) is on the north end of Millennium Park along E. Randolph Street at the NE corner of Randolph and Columbus Drive, in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. It is home to the headquarters of Health Care Service Corporation. The building's address is 300 E. Randolph Street and is next to the Aon Center. Original plans to connect the two buildings via an underground pedway never came to fruition. Architect James Goettsch of Goettsch Partners designed the building. The 33-story first phase was completed in 1997 under the firm name of Lohan Associates (now Goettsch Partners). The 24-story second phase started in 2007 and was completed in 2010.

Coast at Lakeshore East (sometimes Coast), originally known as Lakeshore East Building 2-A, is a 46-story residential skyscraper in the Lakeshore East development in the Loop community area of downtown Chicago. The building is located at 345 East Wacker Drive. It is the eighth 21st century skyscraper at Lakeshore East. It is the first smoke-free residential building in Lakeshore East.Groundbreaking for the building occurred in June 2011 and occupancy is expected to commence in 2013. The tower is designed by the architectural firm of bKL Architecture LLC, while Magellan Development Group is the developer along with its equity partner, JPMorgan Asset Management. James McHugh Construction Co., which has constructed six buildings at Lakeshore East, is the general contractor for the new tower. Magellan was informed by the City of Chicago that it would not be granted public way permits for scaffolding during May 2012 due to the 2012 NATO Summit held in Chicago. They also spoke with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service on the issue and did not apply for permits after gathering information. In November 2011, the designing architectural firm disbanded. Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin has described the building as "a boxy, 49-story, metal-and-glass apartment tower". Coast will comprise 499 apartments, 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) retail space, a 272-car parking facility, amenities such as an outdoor pool and landscaped deck, a fitness center, resident lounge, business center, media room, and an indoor spa. As of June 2011 initial occupancy was targeted for February 2013. In February 2013, leasing offices opened for occupancy beginning in March 2013.

The Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street, formerly Amoco Building) is a modern supertall skyscraper in the Chicago Loop, Chicago, Illinois, United States, designed by architect firms Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership, and completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago. The building is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, which is also headquartered in the building. Aon Center formerly housed the world headquarters of Aon and Amoco. Aon still maintains headquarters of its US operations there. The building is also the co-headquarters of Kraft Heinz.

340 on the Park is a residential tower in the Lakeshore East development of the neighborhood of New Eastside/ East Loop Chicago and was completed in 2007. The building briefly surpassed 55 East Erie as the tallest all-residential building in Chicago. It is the second-tallest all-residential building in Chicago (One Museum Park is the current tallest) at 672 feet (205 meters) with 62 floors. The architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz designed the tower and it was built by Magellan Development. The structural engineering firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates designed the building using post-tensioning in order increase the floor-to-ceiling heights. James McHugh Construction Co installed post-tensioning tendons supplied by Amsysco Inc.The tower is located in the Lakeshore East complex which, when completed, will house thousands of residents. 340 on the Park is set flush next to Randolph Street, allowing unobstructed views of Millennium Park, Grant Park, The Park at Lakeshore East and Lake Michigan. The tower's design also allows for nearby buildings to maintain some views of the park. 340 on the Park has also become the first residential tower in the Midwestern United States to achieve Silver LEED certification for its "green" design, including a large winter garden for residents. Additional benefits include a connection to the Chicago Pedway system, low-flow water fixtures for both residential and public spaces, and energy-efficient fixtures such as lights and mechanical equipment. The north side of the building is contoured so that views from The Buckingham next to the building are not interfered with.

WDRV (97.1 FM, "The Drive") is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and airs a classic rock format. Its studios were originally located in the John Hancock Center. On May 11, 2018, WDRV moved into all new, state-of-the-art, digital studios in Chicago's Prudential Plaza. WDRV's antenna is located atop the Aon Center. The station's programming is simulcast on sister station 96.9 WWDV in Zion, Illinois. WDRV uses HD Radio and broadcasts a classic rock format branded as "Deep Tracks" on its HD2 subchannel.

The Chicago Riverwalk is a multi-use public space located on the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River in Chicago, extending from Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive westward to Lake Street. The Chicago Riverwalk contains restaurants, bars, cafes, small parks, boat and kayak rentals, a Vietnam War memorial, and other amenities. Its final extent will be beyond Wolf Point Towers, northward to the planned Bally's casino near the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.

Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, which, along with Illinois Center, is called the New Eastside. The development is bordered by Wacker Drive to the north, Columbus Drive to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, and East Randolph Street to the south. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill created the master plan for the area. The development, which had been scheduled for completion in 2011, was set for completion in 2013 by 2008. Development continued with revised plans for more buildings in 2018 and continuing construction of the Vista Tower in 2019. Although the majority of the buildings in the neighborhood will be 21st century constructions resulting from the master plan, some of the current buildings were built as early as the 1960s and 1970s decades. Thus, the term "Lakeshore East" refers only to the components of the new master plan, while the term New Eastside refers to the greater neighborhood surrounding Lakeshore East that extends westward to Michigan Avenue. In the 1960s, Illinois Center near Michigan Avenue was developed. There is little formal distinction between buildings in the masterplan and other buildings in the neighborhood because the pre-existing buildings are referred to as being located in the Lakeshore East area.Lakeshore East features several of the tallest buildings in Chicago and may include a few of the tallest buildings in the United States. The overall planned development, the park, and several of the individual buildings have won awards for architecture and/or urban planning. The buildings are planned for various types of residential use (condominiums, apartments, or hotels). Due to the neighborhood's proximity to both Lake Michigan to the east and the Chicago River to the north, many of the buildings are named with aquatic or nautical themes. As of August 2008, 1,500 condominiums have been sold and 1,200 apartments have been completed.

Chicago Rising from the Lake (1954) is a bronze sculpture by Milton Horn. The sculpture shows a woman, rising from waters of Lake Michigan, with flames, animals and wheat. It represents Chicago's rebirth after the Great Chicago Fire, and subsequent rise to become a leader in transportation, stockyards and commodities.

McDonald's Cycle Center (formerly Millennium Park Bike Station) is an indoor bike station in the northeast corner of Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city of Chicago built the center at the intersection of East Randolph Street and Columbus Drive, and opened it July 2004. Since June 2006, it has been sponsored by McDonald's and several other partners, including city departments and bicycle advocacy organizations. The bike station, which serves bicycle commuters and utility cyclists, provides lockers, showers, a snack bar with outdoor summer seating, bike repair, bike rental and 300 bicycle parking spaces as of 2004. The Cycle Center is accessible by membership and day pass. It also accommodates runners and inline skaters, and provides space for a Chicago Police Department Bike Patrol Group.Planning for the Cycle Center was part of the larger "Bike 2010 Plan", in which the city aimed to make itself more accommodating to bicycle commuters. This plan (now replaced by the "Bike 2015 Plan") included provisions for front-mounted two-bike carriers on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses, permitting bikes to be carried on Chicago 'L' trains, installing numerous bike racks and creating bicycle lanes in streets throughout the city. Additionally, the Chicago metropolitan area's other mass transit providers, Metra and Pace, have developed increased bike accessibility. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was an advocate of the plan, noting it is also an environmentally friendly effort to cut down on traffic. McDonald's controversially claimed that, since it is providing a healthier menu and fostering grade school physical education in an effort to help its customers improve their health, sponsoring bicycle and exercise activity in the park augments the company's other initiatives.Environmentalists, urban planners and cycling enthusiasts around the world have expressed interest in the Cycle Center, and want to emulate what they see as a success story in urban planning and transit-oriented development. Pro-cycling and environmentalist journalists in publications well beyond the Chicago metropolitan area have described the Cycle Center as exemplary, impressive, unique and ground-breaking.

The Buckingham, formerly known as Buckingham Plaza, is a 44-story all-residential condominium designed by Fujikawa Johnson & Associates. Located on East Randolph Street in Chicago, Illinois, the building sits between the new 340 on the Park building to its west and the older Outer Drive East building to its east. Two parks, Millennium Park and Lakeshore East Park, are immediately located to The Buckingham's south and north faces respectively. It is one of the few buildings that predates the new surrounding Lakeshore East development in the New Eastside neighborhood. There are 7 rooms located on every residential floor of the building for a total of 306 units. An indoor pool, sauna, laundry room, fitness center and open roof deck are located on the top floor. The Buckingham has 3 high-speed elevators that run the length of the building plus one elevator that runs from the first floor to each floor of the 4-story underground parking garage.

The Consulate General of Canada in Chicago is a Government of Canada diplomatic mission responsible for Canadian interests in the states of Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, northwestern Indiana and the Kansas City metro area. The Consulate General is part of a worldwide network of Canadian diplomatic and trade offices, including more than 15 across the United States. In the Midwest, Canada accounts for more than 35% of the region's international trade. Canada is the largest export market for Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin, larger than Mexico, China, Brazil, Australia and Japan combined. The Midwest–Canada trade relationship is worth more than $60 billion annually and supports more than 650,000 Midwest jobs. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of oil, natural gas, electricity and uranium to the U.S. The trade partnership, along with an integral energy relationship, a shared responsibility for the Great Lakes and the environment, and the vast cultural, academic and tourism ties between the two countries, are just a few examples of why the Canada–U.S. relationship is so beneficial and meaningful to both nations. The mission's 27 staff members in Chicago work to further this relationship by promoting Canada's interests in this region through stronger trade and economic ties, as well as enhanced political, academic and cultural links between Canada and the Midwest. The Consulate General also provides consular assistance to Canadians who are visiting or living in the accredited territory.