September 25, 2026 — A proposal to turn part of a historic Loop office building into a high-density data center has cleared a major hurdle, even as City Hall pushes to pause similar projects citywide.
The Permit Review Committee of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved the adaptive reuse of 300 West Adams Street, a 1927 Gothic Revival terra cotta building at Adams and Franklin Streets. Developer Chilled AI is leading the redevelopment alongside architects ZPD+A and C+K Architecture.
Three Franklin Street retail spaces will be removed to install a high-capacity ComEd electrical vault, though remaining ground-floor retail will stay intact.
To shield the operations from pedestrians below, a narrow row of office desks will line the second-floor windows, while a rooftop steel platform will support 10 backup diesel generators.
Interior demolition permits have already been issued, and the developers are awaiting final city approval on architectural and structural renovation permits before starting the buildout.
Approval clashes with moratorium push
The landmark clearance lands right as Mayor Johnson and three City Council members—49th Ward Alderman Maria Hadden, 48th Ward Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, and 4th Ward Alderman Lamont J. Robinson—introduced an ordinance calling for an immediate 12-month moratorium on new data centers and major facility expansions.
“Chicago is open for business, but we are not for sale,” Johnson said while introducing the moratorium.
The proposed pause stems from an August 2026 executive order and a July report from the city’s Sustainable Data Centers Working Group. Both cited mounting concerns over data centers using up to 30 to 60 times more power per square foot than standard office space, straining the electrical grid and raising concerns about water cooling, generator emissions, and neighborhood impacts.
