Tribune Tower Residences

Nominated by: Mary Cook Associates
Location: Chicago, IL
Developer: Golub & Company
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) Architecture
General Contractor: Walsh Group
Interior Designer: Mary Cook Associates
Project Website: tribunetower.com

Project Statement:

When The Chicago Tribune announced the departure from its iconic Michigan Avenue address, co-developers Golub & Company and CIM Group planned a multiyear transformation of the 1925 neo-Gothic skyscraper into Tribune Tower Residences — 34 stories of luxury condominiums. Mary Cook Associates (MCA) was engaged to design five one- to three-bedroom model units that would complement the prestigious history, appeal to a downtown Chicago market, and satisfy the vision for a premier urban residential living destination.

The building’s impressive architectural style includes key elements that drove interior design solutions. The lower office block comprises limestone with Art Deco style spandrels. The building’s crown depicts a Medieval European tower. These striking features, coupled with the building’s historic significance and emergence as a new luxury option in Chicago’s chic downtown scene, presented an opportunity to play to the building’s inherent architectural distinction along with freshening interiors with modern designs.

No two residential units in the tower are configured the same because of the building’s original function as the Tribune’s offices and operational space. Each design element needed to adapt to pre-existing elements while attracting a specific audience with unique psychographic attributes. The unit’s design would need to pinpoint preferences based on age, lifestyle, space utilization, amenities and other needs and interests to facilitate successful customization.