Bank of America’s big Wacker Drive lease will kick off construction of a 51-story office tower, as well as a hiring spree by the bank in Chicago.

Bank of America has agreed to be the anchor tenant in a new 51-story office tower on Wacker Drive because it wants all its local employees who interact with customers to work in the same place, the bank’s top Chicago executive said today.

Bold architectural statements have long defined Chicago’s storied skyline, so it’s no surprise that the city’s recent construction boom is producing exceptionally designed buildings. International talents including Helmut Jahn, Rafael Viñoly, Gensler, and MAD Architects have ambitious plans that will be realized in the next several years, adding flair to an already famous cityscape.

You know a new building has struck a nerve when people give it nicknames like “The Tuning Fork” or “The Guillotine.” Or when the building appears alongside the likes of Willis Tower and Marina City on tour-boat posters that tout a chance to see Chicago’s architectural icons.

The developers of a planned 51-story office tower on the Chicago River have moved a big step closer to breaking ground after landing their first tenant: Bank of America.

Zurich North America’s new headquarters, and the LondonHouse Chicago hotel were among the winners in the 29th annual Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards.

As the new 54-story waterfront tower at 150 N. Riverside puts the finishing touches on its landscaped plaza and riverwalk, the building has also fired-up an impressive 3,000-square-foot LED wall in its lobby.

After years of planning, the Howard Hughes Co and Riverside Investment and Development unveiled renderings for their planned 800-foot-tall skyscraper at 110 North Wacker. The building will replace the squat General Growth Properties building.

A team led by Dallas-based Howard Hughes Company and Chicago’s Riverside Investment and Development have taken the wraps off a dramatic 800-foot office building proposed for 110 N. Wacker.

More than 1,000 industry professionals attended NAIOP Chicago’s 29th Annual Awards for Excellence, Nov. 17 at Navy Pier, to network with colleagues and celebrate a year of extraordinary deals.

Developers of The Main, the new nine-story mixed-use building on the southeast corner of Main Street and Chicago Avenue in Evanston, held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the building this afternoon.

One building is not even open yet, the other has been open for less than a month, but the state’s structural engineers wasted no time honoring two Loop buildings for engineering excellence.

A nine-story mixed-use high rise development going up at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Main Street may be open as soon as Sept. 1, estimated the developer, joining city officials and others at a “topping off,” ceremony Wednesday.

Despite its marquee riverfront location in Chicago’s West Loop, a sliver of land today known as 150 North Riverside sat vacant for decades, effectively orphaned. Wedged between the Chicago River to the east and active Amtrak rail lines to the west, bookended by Lake and Randolph streets to the north and south, the lot was absent both utilities and footprint, expanding out to only 85 ft at maximum broadness. Over the years, there were plans, but to no avail.

Location isn’t just important for brick & mortar stores – it can play a role in the success of digital companies as well. And when I’m talking about location, I’m not just talking about the city. The very building in which a company is located can also be a factor.