Latest news with #SignatureRoom
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Expanded observation deck to take over old Signature Room space at former John Hancock Center
360 Chicago at former John Hancock to expand into former Signature Room space 360 Chicago at former John Hancock to expand into former Signature Room space 360 Chicago at former John Hancock to expand into former Signature Room space The restaurant that used to grace the top of the former John Hancock Center is gone for good, but something new is coming to take its place. 360 CHICAGO announced Wednesday that its observation deck, which has always occupied the 94th floor of the iconic skyscraper, will be expanding to the 95th floor — becoming the city's first multistory observation deck. The 96th floor will be converted to an event space for weddings, celebrations, and corporate gatherings. Dave Burk, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Dave Burk, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill The new spaces are expected to open to the public in 2027 following a multimillion-dollar renovation, according to 360 CHICAGO. Once the renovation is complete, the three floors will feature a grand staircase connecting them all. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill The Signature Room restaurant that used to grace the 95th floor of the Hancock Center abruptly closed on Sept. 28, 2023, citing "severe economic hardship." Under its most recent incarnation, The Signature Room had opened in 1993, but there had been a restaurant in the space as far back as when the John Hancock Center first opened. The restaurant was formerly known simply as the 95th Restaurant, and dated back to 1970. The Signature Lounge, that famous spot for a cocktail a floor up on the 96th floor, was previously called Images. In March 2024, a judge ordered $1.5 million in back pay for former Signature Room employees, after ruling that the restaurant and lounge failed to give workers proper notice when the business closed. Magnicity, the parent company of 360 CHICAGO , purchased the old Signature Room space in June of last year. The company enlisted the help of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill — the architectural firm behind the John Hancock Center itself — to redesign the space.
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Former Signature Room will be Chicago's largest observation deck
Chicago's first multi-floor observation deck will soon open in the building formerly known as The Hancock. It will be one of only a few in the world. Why it matters: The current 94th-floor observation deck of the building, which includes The Tilt and Cloud Bar, remains a major tourist attraction but also a magnet for architecture buffs who come to marvel at the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill-designed tower. Driving the news: 360 Chicago, owners of the top three accessible floors of the building, announced Wednesday that the vacant 94th and 95th floors will be a more than 30,000-square-foot observation deck and the 96th floor will be a private event space. Fun fact: The John Hancock Center, now called 875 North Michigan Avenue, was the first mixed-use tower in the world. Flashback: The Signature Room, which occupied the 95th and 96th floors, abruptly closed in September 2023, citing financial hardship. By the numbers: 360 Chicago purchased the top two floors last year for $18.5 million, and the renovation into a three-story observation deck will cost "tens of millions of dollars," 360 Chicago's Nichole Benolken tells Axios. The 94th floor currently welcomes a little less than a million visitors a year, Benolken said. Between the lines: The nostalgic kitschy-ness of the Signature Room as a prime spot for special occasions and moments will not be lost, Benolken promises, as 360 hosts yoga and free days for nonprofits and other locals. "We see hundreds of engagements up here every year as well, and a lot of those are residents from the city of Chicago," she says, and they expect those will continue.
