Baker & McKenzie currently leases approximately 240,000 sfat One Prudential Plaza, 130 E. Randolph St. The firm's lease willexpire in November 2012. The firm hired Jones Lang LaSalle andarchitectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz early last yearto draft an office strategic plan, as previously reported byGlobeSt.com.

William Blair, which has been located at 222 W. Adams St., since1994, signed alease in March to be the anchor tenant in the building, aspreviously reported by GlobeSt.com. The firm will occupythree-and-a-half floors of the low-rise portion of the 52-storybuilding and 10 high-rise floors. The building is currently 65%pre-leased, Van Schaack tells GlobeSt.com. The asking lease ratefor office space in the building is approximately $50 per sf gross,he says.

The building will also have approximately 15,000 sf of retailand restaurant space. Construction is expected to begin this falland be completed in June 2011. The tower was designed by PickardChilton Architects, based in New Haven, CT. The building will havecurved glass and elliptical 25,000-sf floor plates. The projectwill have a 1.5-acre public park along the river, and a boutiquehotel with approximately 200 rooms is planned to adjoin the tower.Van Schaack says they are not yet announcing who will manage thetower. The joint venture expects to sell the hotel portion of theproject. Hines representatives previously pegged the value of thehotel at about $65 million.