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Aqua Tower In Downtown Chicago Has Apartments For Rent (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 09/29/10 01:59 PM ET   Updated: 05/25/11 06:50 PM ET

Take a look: one of the most striking -- and most lauded -- recent additions to the Chicago skyline has rooms for rent.

The 82-story Aqua Tower is easy to pick out: its façade consists of undulating terraces, which make it appear as if water is running down the building's face. But those curves aren't just for visual appeal. They also help shade the glass and "confuse" the wind, and are arranged specifically so that residents can have views of city landmarks unobscured by the surrounding structures.

For instance, certain terraces provide direct sight lines to Lake Michigan through the urban jungle. Others are designed with views of the Bean, Pritzker Pavilion and the Park at Lake Shore East in mind.

Scroll down for photos.

"We let the climate and views shape the building, weaving it into its surroundings," said Jeanne Gang, FAIA, whose Chicago-based firm Studio Gang Architects designed the Aqua Tower. (Loewenberg Architects served as the Architect of Record.) "It is equal parts data and imagination."

That imagination hasn't gone unnoticed, either. In February of this year, Aqua received the Emporis 2009 Skyscraper of the Year Award, and is currently one of five finalists for the 2010 International Highrise Award.

So how much does it cost to live in this architectural wonder? According to Magellan Development Group, the building's owner, fully equipped studios in the building start at $1,474 per month; one-bedrooms start at $2,260, and it'll cost at least $2,900 for a two-bedroom apartment. Studio condominiums start at around $300,000; a two-bed, two-bath runs as high as $800,000.

Hey, we all can dream.

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Take a look: one of the most striking -- and most lauded -- recent additions to the Chicago skyline has rooms for rent. The 82-story Aqua Tower is easy to pick out: its façade consists of undulating...
Take a look: one of the most striking -- and most lauded -- recent additions to the Chicago skyline has rooms for rent. The 82-story Aqua Tower is easy to pick out: its façade consists of undulating...
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11:38 PM on 09/30/2010
Beautiful building - so so apartments - the rooms are small and boxy. I'd rather look at it from the outside!
09:17 AM on 09/30/2010
grosssssssss
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BVictor1
Chicago, My kind of town...
09:27 PM on 09/29/2010
Here's a time lapse video of Aqua put together from may photos of those of us who documented the construction of Aqua from start to finish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNkZiduVy7A
07:01 PM on 09/29/2010
SO SO SO WHAT TO MOVE IN NOT TO RENT BUT TO OWN HOW BEAUTIFUL JUST BEAUTIFUL
05:23 PM on 09/29/2010
Oh, forget those "low" commercial aspects!
Aqua Tower is a wonderful new melody in Chicago ARCHITECTURAL Jazz Orchestra.
http://bit.ly/cb9Z2h
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kramereng
05:11 PM on 09/29/2010
Beautiful building but I could never live in a high rise like that. I need either a stoop or a back deck/patio. No door men for me. I realize, however, it's appropriate for certain people (namely, the elderly and those trying to own something for status reasons).
04:09 PM on 09/29/2010
I would rather live near it and look at it from afar, rather than pay easily $500/mo over the market rate even for new construction in the neighborhood. Plus, the rental units are all full of wall-to-wall carpet (no exceptions), 2nd rate appliances, and generally small layouts. You are FAR better off renting a condo in neighboring buildings from an individual owner.

The amenities are nice though, as are the views from some units.
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JFaye
My micro-bio is not empty. Thank you.
03:18 PM on 09/29/2010
Chicago has an impressive skyline day or night ... Should I ever move back there, lakefront living, particularly the River North area is the destination for me. While I love the city that never sleeps more (NY), for a large metropolis, Chicago is a beautiful, clean town.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tonewheel
Vote early...and often.
05:01 PM on 09/29/2010
Yeah, but River North isn't lakefront. It's blocked by Streeterville. But it is a great area to live in.
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JFaye
My micro-bio is not empty. Thank you.
06:20 PM on 09/29/2010
I stand corrected... My sister who lives in the area just explained the geography to me. She lived for years right at Navy Pier and I did not realize that is Streeterville... It just all seemed like lakefront ... she still has a view. (Yes, she's up high.)
02:30 PM on 09/29/2010
I'm a designer and am certainly not as impressed with this building as those who have created it. Given the very strategic location of the site would you not have views in between, around and over every congested urban element surrounding it regardless of the buildings design??
I'm not being bitchy here and understand that being a critic is the easiest thing in the world to do without knowing the obstacles and thought process that go into creating this type of project. I just think that it could have been so much more sleek and cutting edge.
02:05 PM on 09/29/2010
Who would want to live in chicago...what a joke...I rather spend my money and get a condo in Vegas or San Francisco.
02:30 PM on 09/29/2010
Obviously, oh great bubba, you've never spent any quality time in Chicago.
02:31 PM on 09/29/2010
a gambling hippie?
01:43 PM on 09/29/2010
Yeh, I'd love to drop 1.5 times my mortgage to live in a studio...
01:23 PM on 09/29/2010
AQUA... The Spire was also supposed to be completed by now. Don't know if that will ever happen.
02:32 PM on 09/29/2010
donezo. the site has been called off. it would have been an interesting landmark now that we have to refer to our black landmark as the willis tower. sigh.
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tonewheel
Vote early...and often.
05:03 PM on 09/29/2010
Sears, baby. It's the Sears.....
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BVictor1
Chicago, My kind of town...
09:09 PM on 09/29/2010
It hasn't been called off at all.

The developer has been seeking financing for some time.

However, there have been some rumbelings that instead of 1 tower, there could be 2 shorter towers. One reason for this is because construction could be phased.

Also, the site was originally zoned for 2 shorter buildings. 1 - 35 story and 1 - 50 story.
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BVictor1
Chicago, My kind of town...
09:06 PM on 09/29/2010
The fact that it'll cost 1.5 billion has been a hinderance in getting financing.

It's still a hole in the ground currently.
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BlindChance
Have another cherry...
01:15 PM on 09/29/2010
I want I want I want!