In Lakeshore East, Magellan Development and Lendlease are putting the final touches on a pair of new residential high-rises known as Cirrus and Cascade. 

The developers broke ground on the downtown towers in mid-2019 and worked through the pandemic to top off both structures in January of this year. Crews are currently wrapping up glass installation, interior build-out, and the project's publicly accessible green space known as "Cascade Park."

Cirrus and Cascade topped off earlier this year and will soon be fully enclosed. Harry Carmichael

Cirrus, the taller of the two towers, rises 47 stories at 211 N. Harbor Drive. It contains 350 condominiums offered in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom floorplans ranging from 650 to over 3,000 square feet in size. Pricing starts in the mid-$400,000 range and can exceed $4 million for penthouse units. Cirrus will welcome residents this fall.

The neighboring 37-story Cascade building at 455 E. Waterside Drive will contain 503 rental apartments in studio, one-, two, and three-bedroom layouts. Pre-leasing in the shorter tower is set to begin in the coming weeks with the first move-ins expected this summer.

Both Cirrus and Cascade were designed by Lakeshore East-based bKL Architecture and feature glassy exteriors with vertical bronze and copper-colored metal accents. The towers sit atop a shared parking podium that is mostly concealed behind the elevated roadways of Lake Shore Drive and Harbor Drive. 

The facades of both buildings feature a serrated edge, floor-to-ceiling glass, and warm-colored metal striping.Harry Carmichael

Cascade Park is expected to open ahead of schedule this summer. Designed by Montreal landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associes, the 0.8-acre public amenity will provide a sloping pedestrian connection between Harbor Drive, Lower Lake Shore Drive, and the Lakefront Trail.

Cirrus and Cascade are among the final buildings in the Lakeshore East masterplan. The duo will eventually be joined by a third bKL-designed residential skyscraper to the immediate north at "Parcel I," although it's unclear when developers plan to break ground on the 85-story, 950-foot-tall tower.

The final piece of the LSE puzzle is the "Parcel O" building slated for 193 N. Columbus Drive. Also developed by Magellan and designed by bKL, the roughly 500-foot high-rise will contain 629 residential units and 269 hotel rooms. The Parcel O project will break ground no sooner than October 2021, according to Ald. Brendan Reilly.

The sloping form of Cascade Park comes together. The publicly accessible green space will provide an improved connection between Lakeshore East and the Chicago lakefront.Harry Carmichael