The architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has been hired to remodel two floors once occupied by the Signature Room in the former John Hancock Center, which the firm designed in the 1960s.
Observation deck company 360 Chicago announced the hiring of SOM on Tuesday but said it is still deciding what will be built on the 95th and 96th floors of the skyscraper now called 875 N. Michigan Ave.
Whatever is built – the company said it will not be a restaurant – to be completed in 2026.
“One of the strengths of creating a company like SOM is that they are also very focused on research and strategy,” 360 Chicago CEO Nichole Benolken told the Sun-Times. “We are deep in planning with them and challenging both them and us what the best use of the space can be.”
She said “we’re focused on telling stories in space” but are still in the “early stages” of planning.
360 Chicago operates an observation deck on the 95th floor, directly below the former Signature Room. The company bought the floors earlier this year, months after the Signature Room restaurant and bar suddenly closed.
Benolken said she hopes the project honors the legacy of the building — which was revolutionary in its time by being the first mixed-use skyscraper. The building had 70 floors of apartment space and 45 floors of offices when it was completed in 1970.
SOM “will spearhead a complete renovation of the space with an interior design plan that will accentuate the building’s original architecture,” Chicago 360 said in a statement announcing SOM’s hiring.
In a statement, SOM partner Scott Duncan said the redevelopment was a chance to reinforce the skyscraper’s role in revolutionizing urban architecture.
“It is not just an observation point; it’s an opportunity to rethink its role as a premier destination in the city’s cultural and architectural narrative,” Duncan said in a statement.