The Loop
Chicago's CBD and Class A office core.
The The Loop Read
The Loop is Chicago's central business district — bounded roughly by the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and Roosevelt Road. LaSalle Street is the historic financial spine; Wacker Drive fronts the river with the largest concentration of trophy office. It remains one of the largest CBDs in the United States by office square footage.
The post-2020 story here is repositioning. Older Class B/C towers are actively converting to multifamily and hotel — one of the more aggressive office-to-resi conversion pipelines in the country. Trophy Class A absorbs the flight-to-quality tenants. The result is a widening basis spread between top-tier and commodity office, and a downtown that is quietly becoming more residential.
- Willis Tower110-story trophy, ~4.5M SF — the pricing anchor of the West Loop / Loop edge.
- Aon Center83-story East Loop trophy, ~2.7M SF.
- Chase TowerJPMorgan Chase's Chicago HQ; 60-story LaSalle Street anchor.
- Union StationAmtrak + Metra hub; anchors West Loop commuter density.
- Chicago Mercantile ExchangeCME Group HQ; anchor of Wacker Drive financial-services concentration.
- LaSalle Street (financial spine)
- Wacker Drive (riverfront trophy)
- Michigan Avenue (east edge, Grant Park frontage)
- State Street (retail spine)
- CTA Blue Line — Clark/Lake, Jackson
- CTA Red Line — Lake, Monroe, Jackson
- Metra — Union Station + Ogilvie Transportation Center
- Amtrak — Union Station
- Class A office (financial services, law, professional services)
- Government (federal + city civic center)
- Growing multifamily via conversions
- Ground-floor retail + dining
Everything The Loop Commercial Real Estate
Substantive guidance for the entire Cook County CRE journey — buy-side, sell-side, investment strategy, leasing, financing, and 1031 exchange. Each spoke is a county-level resource applied to The Loop.
Frequently Asked Questions — The Loop
What's the office-to-multifamily conversion pipeline like in The Loop?
Active and one of the most-watched in the country. Older Class B/C towers along LaSalle Street and the eastern Loop are the primary conversion candidates — floorplate depth, structural bones, and post-2020 rent economics have made the math workable for the first time. The specific buildings and timing shift quarter-to-quarter.
How do trophy Loop cap rates compare to Fulton Market?
Fulton Market has run at a persistent premium over trophy Loop office for several years — Google's presence, McDonald's HQ, and the tenant-mix quality push rents higher there. The Loop trophy comp set (Willis, Aon, Chase Tower) still trades on institutional-scale deals but the basis spread is real. Both are top-of-market Chicago Class A.
Who covers The Loop for the Linton Global Expansion Team?
The founding Illinois operator seat is open and being recruited. Meanwhile, transactions in The Loop are handled through the Linton Global Solutions referral-partner network — a licensed Illinois broker in the LGS network represents the deal end-to-end. Contact mike@lintonglobal.com for an introduction.
Adjacent Cook County Submarkets
Working a deal in The Loop?
Contact Linton Global Solutions and we will introduce you to a licensed Illinois referral partner in the LGS network. Michael R. Linton is Florida-licensed (BK703722) and does not personally represent Illinois transactions — the LGS network handles Chicagoland execution while the founding Illinois operator is being recruited.
Request an Introduction