Water Tower Place Getting $15-Mil Makeover

Although final approval from city officials is required, work on the seven-story building begins Wednesday with scaffolding, and completion is scheduled in time for this year's holiday shopping season.

Urban Retail Properties Co. says the work on the office, retail and hotel complex that draws 20 million visitors a year is being done in response to consumer surveys. Although there are new competitors further south on the Magnificent Mile, such as Nordstrom's and North Bridge, that is not the motivation for the work, says Water Tower Place senior marketing manager Angela Herthl-Sweeney. "If you look at a property like Water Tower Place, it's been 25 years since it's been built and it's never undergone any renovation," she adds. "We just feel it's a natural cycle. Our position is, after 25 years, it was time."

The 727,000-sf retail area at 835 N. Michigan Ave., anchored by Marshall Field and Lord & Taylor, is 95% occupied, Herthl-Sweeney says.

Enhancements to the structure will include:

* A new glass-enclosed lobby will be increased by 12 feet to the building's pillars on North Michigan Avenue.

* A two-story water fountain, created by Wet Design of Universal City, CA, will be added near the information desk at the center entrance. The company has created water attractions at Navy Pier and McCormick Place.

* Three-story bay windows will be added on the Michigan Avenue corners of the building, offering the possibility for lights to increase the building's visibility. In addition, floodlights will illuminate the building's marble façade at night

* A new marble and granite floor will be added to the Michigan Avenue lobby and existing carpeting will be replaced.* Upholstered chairs, tables and plants will be added to department store courts to create "living room" style seating areas.

"The changes will convey our vitality to shoppers as they approach thebuilding at street level and foster a contemporary retail experience that isas enjoyable as it is functional," says chief investment officer Adam Metz. "The renovation will introduce significant improvements while maintaining the unique design of the building."

The work also won't disrupt shopping at Water Tower Place, he adds. "Changes will be introduced in manageable phases so that shoppers, visitors, building and area residents and area workers will not be inconvenienced. The parking lot and motor concourse will remain open throughout the renovation, and all shops and access to every level of the complex will operate normally."