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PRINTERS ROW — The Reed, the latest addition to the Southbank development, opened pre-leasing Tuesday.
The 41-story tower is the second residential building to open in the South Loop development. The Cooper opened in 2018.
Both complement Southbank Park, a 2-acre public park along the Chicago River created as part of a 7-acre master plan.
The LEED-certified building at 234 W. Polk St. was designed by Perkins and Will and features 244 one, two- and three-bedroom apartments with rents of $2,160-$5,325, and with condominiums for sale starting at $400,000. The building will be ready to accept tenants in May, developers said.
Units are 544-1,417 square feet and come with exposed concrete ceilings, wide-plank wood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Kitchens have stainless steel appliances, black granite countertops and soft-close cabinets, while bathrooms feature frameless glass showers, quartz countertops and Hansgrohe and Kohler fixtures.
With demand for apartment rentals increasing since the pandemic, South Loop was the perfect place to meet that need, said Ted Weldon, Lendlease Chicago’s executive general manager of development. Southbank is part of the Lendlease portfolio.
“The South Loop is a diverse, eclectic neighborhood. There’s a lot of pride in the South Loop, and that’s something that really attracted us to this site, so we want to just continue and celebrate that heritage,” Weldon said.
The building includes amenities like a rooftop garden that will have fresh flowers and harvested honey to residents in collaboration with The Roof Crop, and it has an expansive indoor-outdoor fitness center with cardio and strength-training equipment.
Residents will also have access to an onsite salon, massage room and a virtual sports simulation room.
Credit: Provided.Still, the biggest draw will likely be the abundant greenspace abutting the river, Weldon said.
“Our outdoor space is really focused on connecting to the river, and that’s an amenity in and of itself. There’s an outdoor kitchen area for condominium owners and a grilling area on the second floor that looks right out on the river,” Weldon said.
An eight-floor residents’ lounge features a show kitchen, dining room, pool table and seating areas that can double as workspaces — an amenity made important by the pandemic, Weldon said.
The building has 165 parking spaces, 12 with electric charging stations.
Another important factor was sustainability, Weldon said. The building is LEED Gold-, Fitwel- and Energy Star-certified, and it is the first development to use low-carbon concrete in its construction, he said. One of the company’s main goals is to achieve absolute zero carbon emissions by 2040, Weldon said.
Apartment management will offer plant care, feline care, newspaper delivery and in-home package delivery for residents away from home.
The Southbank is adding retail, as well, with the recent openings of Bubble & Brew, a family-owned bubble tea shop; and Hops and Scotch, a grab-and-go liquor store from the owners of South Loop Market. They’re on the ground floor of The Cooper, 720 S. Wells St.
Hops and Scotch carries an extensive collection of craft beers, scotches, bourbons, whiskeys and wine, from $10 Merlot one would find at their local supermarket to more expensive options, said Moe Hammad, the store’s manager.
Hammad said the store is already booked halfway through March with wine and whiskey tastings every weekend.
“Every Friday night we have a different vineyard coming in, and on Saturdays will be a different whiskey distiller,” Hammad said.
For more information on The Reed or to schedule a tour, call 312-260-9797 or go online.
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