Optima Center Chicago II stands up on its heels, accentuating the height difference between it and Little Brother to its right.

It was never a matter of if Optima II would rise higher than its predecessor, Optima Chicago Center, but a matter of when. That’s because we knew from the get-go that Optima Chicago Center II, at 220 East Illinois Street in Streeterville, was expected to rise a full 12 floors higher than the first tower, at 200 East. And 54 stories opposed to 42 stories, when compared apples-to-apples (apartment tower-to-apartment tower, in this case) will always win the height battle.

All that math a side, it’s been several weeks since 220 caught and passed 200, on its way to the aforementioned 54 floors (and 381 apartments.) Optima Chicago Center II is a design, development, and construction project of the multi-talented Optima, Inc.