Finally! 1001 South State, from the *inside.

1001 South State, in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.

There are three ways us common folk can check out the hot new skyscrapers in Chicago. We can

Make an appointment to look at new apartments in the city
*Pretend* we’re looking at renting a new apartment, just so we can get inside a new development

Wait for Open House Chicago, and hope the new apartments are on the schedule of locations available for tours.

I used the latter method to finally be able to see 1001 South State, after visiting it many times during its construction. And as you might imagine, it’s gorgeous, with all the luxurious amenities you’d expect from new construction. There are 397 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units in the tower. Among the coolest features, besides the pool and all the grills, the outdoor deck atop the podium wraps 360 degrees around the building, so you can get all your steps in without leaving the premises, and without walking up and down a hallway.

A goal of mine is to photograph the entire construction progress of every Chicago development I can get to, from the time a lot is empty, or a building or parking lot is destroyed, through completion. Then, to be able to visit that project once opened. 1001 South State is the first building in Chicago for which I’ve completed that cycle.

The Open House Chicago 2016 Gallery