Of all the high-rise proposals that have come and gone in recent years, only a few can still send Realtors drifting into wistful thoughts of what could have been (and may someday come to pass). You sometimes see that look in their eyes when they talk about the Chicago Spire, or Waterview Tower, or Lincoln Park 2520. Occasionally, I’ll come across someone who had high hopes for this project, a tall River North tower with a terribly clunky name.
Related Midwest and Canyon Ranch Spa‘s 67-story Canyon Ranch Living – Chicago at 680 N Rush St would have consisted of 257 one- to three-bedroom condos, 126 hotel condos, and a 75,000 square-foot “Wellness Center” with fitness equipment, spa treatments, and a pool, making it a natural competitor with condo / hotel hybrids like Trump, The Elysian, and the never-built Waterview and Mandarin Oriental towers. The glassy, oval-shaped tower was designed by Destefano & Partners and Robert D. Henry Architects.
Related started marketing the tower in early 2007 with hopes of breaking ground later that year or in early 2008 and completing construction in 2011. Pre-construction prices for its luxury condos ranged from the low $800s for a 1,032 square-foot one-bedroom to more than $4 million for 3,400 square-foot penthouses, while hotel suites with 625 to 1,310 square feet ranged from the mid-$700s to the high $900s.
Remember how I said that some Realtors really loved the idea of Canyon Ranch Living? Apparently buyers didn’t match their enthusiasm. By October 2007 only 20 units were under contract, and in March 2008 Related finally pulled the plug on the project.
