CHICAGO—Fifield Cos. purchased 600 W. Jackson Blvd., an iconic eight-story, 106,000 square foot office building in Chicago's West Loop earlier this year and plans to transform the structure into creative office spaces and relocate its own headquarters there from 222 S. Riverside Plaza. The developer has just taken one of the initial steps in that transformation by choosing Cushman & Wakefield to manage its commercial office space.

Built in 1912, famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham designed 600 W. Jackson for the Otis Elevator Co. Although Fifield plans to maintain the traditional exterior, it will modernize the interior lobby, corridors and elevators. Company officials say these improvements will bring the building up to the standards expected by tenants looking for more innovative layouts and on-site conveniences. Fifield also plans re-brand the building under the name Burnham 600 once it finishes the renovations.

“It's got the bones of a good creative office building, as well as a distinguished history,” Steven Fifield, chairman and chief executive officer of Fifield Cos., told GlobeSt.com. “The proximity to public transportation and the building's classic architectural features make it a desirable property, particularly its 12-15 foot ceilings, which are favored by creative and tech tenants. And the views from the roof are fantastic.”

Fifield will relocate their headquarters to a 6,500 square foot suite on the building's sixth floor, joining tenants like Valence Health, OKW Architects, Reed Construction, Bravo Foods, Starwood Hotels and Assemble, a tech shared office operator. Tenants currently occupy 95% of the property.

As reported in GlobeSt.com, in the past few years Fifield has spent much of its time building mammoth luxury apartment buildings in the area such as K2, a 34-story, 496-unit apartment tower at 365 N. Halsted St. The company also built the two-tower Alta at K Station and the 451-unit Left Bank at K Station. The thousands of units have helped transform the West Loop into a true neighborhood with schools, retail and parks.

Senior managing director Victoria Knudson from C&W will lead the new assignment, supported by managing director Amanda Coupe, senior portfolio manager Courtney Hamm and assistant property manager Kimberly Williams. The team manages a portfolio of about 4.5 million square feet of office space in Chicago.

“This asset is a great opportunity to expand our downtown presence and to be part of the growing trend of alternative-use and creative loft style office product that is in high demand here in Chicago,” says Knudson. “Steve and Randy Fifield are true visionaries and we are thrilled to execute their vision for the building and to serve its tenants.”

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Fifield Pushes W. Loop Bldg. Transformation

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