340 On The Park

Facts

Notes

• When it opened, the living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens were floored with bamboo instead of wood, except for the 16 penthouses.
• The 25th floor is two-and-a-half stories tall, and contains a lap pool, fitness center, and other common areas.
• This was the first residential high rise in Chicago to meet silver LEED environmental standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
• The buildingʼs facades vary to make them appropriate for the context from which they are viewed.
• This was Chicagoʼs first “green” residential tower.
• This building has an 11,000 gallon tank for storing rainwater for watering the landscaping. It also has plants on the lower roof to reduce rainwater runoff, and special glass to reduce heat absorption and loss.
• At the time of its completion, this was the tallest all-residential building in Chicago.

Timeline

Narrative

One of the largest buildings to be erected on Randolph Street since the Aon Center, 340 On The Park fills in the final gap in the Randolph Street skyline facing Millennium Park and Grant Park. It also provides a link between the east Loopʼs architectural past and future.

This is an area that saw its first residential development in buildings like The Buckingham and 400 East Randolph. Both are substantial properties, but neither is particularly inspiring. They are symbols of the eras in which they were constructed; when exposed concrete beam grids were a good thing, and apartment blocks were more utilitarian. Fast forward to the 21st century, and people living in apartment towers and condo blocks care quite a bit about what their building looks like, especially if theyʼre spending millions on a new home in the sky. 340 On The Park satisfies this vanity by presenting a thoroughly modern appearance with glass curtain walls, and reflective geometries. But it also harmonizes with its neighbors.

To the west is 300 East Randolph, itself one of Chicagoʼs better uses of glass. And to the east is the previously mentioned Buckingham, with is bays and channels presenting themselves to the world in all of its beige stucco glory. 340 continues the modern blue glass aesthetic while blending with the Buckinghamʼs concrete grid. 340 On The Park uses that grid homage as an opportunity to provide balconies, which the Buckingham is sorely missing. 340ʼs footprint is also of a size similar to the Buckingham, though it is nearly a third taller.

The jewel in Lakeshore Eastʼs crown