Google gave the public on Wednesday a glimpse of its vision for the interior of a renovated James R. Thompson Center building.
The building’s soaring atrium will be preserved, along with its iconic, black-and-white mosaic on the marble-clad ground floor. The internet search giant plans to eventually move several thousand employees into the Loop structure, but the public will enjoy access to a courtyard with a grand staircase, along with terraced seating surrounded by new restaurants and retail.
“Designed for the day-to-day as much as for special moments, the atrium and plaza brings a curated mix of quality food, distinctive retail, and space for seasonal events,” said Mike Miller, Google’s vice president and Chicago site lead, in a prepared statement accompanying the release of new design renderings. “The Thompson Center offers a natural place to grab lunch, catch up with colleagues, or simply take in the scene.”
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The Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center first opened in 1985 as an office building for state employees. Google announced in 2022 that it wanted to take over the property, once threatened with demolition, and transform it into a new regional headquarters. Reconstruction of the 1.2 million-square-foot structure began in 2024. Google originally planned to fully complete the work by 2026, but now says the new Thompson Center will open in 2028.
Its renovation is highly anticipated. Many developers, property owners, restaurateurs and other downtown companies expect Google to bring a jolt of energy to the central business district, perhaps filling empty storefronts with new businesses and hopefully ending the Central Loop’s post-pandemic hangover.
Preservationists who fought to save Jahn’s building from the wrecking ball said they approve of the new interior.
“This renovation is along the lines of what Preservation Chicago envisioned when we placed the Thompson Center on our annual ‘7 Most Endangered’ buildings list on at least four different occasions,” said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller. “We always thought the building could be retro-fitted in a way that kept it as an asset for downtown Chicago, and we’re especially pleased that they appear to be keeping the mosaic, in addition to preserving the 17-story atrium, which really is a masterwork.”
Prime | Capri Interests, a venture led by Chicago developers Michael Reschke and Quintin Primo, bought the Thompson Center in 2022 from the state of Illinois for $105 million. Google agreed to take it over after the duo completes the renovation.
Workers replaced the building’s glass facade with triple-paned glass, which lets in more natural light, cuts energy use and should reduce bird collisions. The Thompson Center’s train station at 100 W. Lake St., where six Chicago Transit Authority lines converge, has remained open throughout construction.
Google also commissioned New York City-artist Sanford Biggers, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, to create a public sculpture on the renovated plaza near the Randolph Street entrance. Biggers said the 30-foot-tall work will honor Chicago’s regional heritage, and was inspired by antique quilts from collections at the Illinois State Museum and the Chicago History Museum.
Miller said Google also forged a partnership with After School Matters, a nonprofit that provides Chicago high school students with after-school activities and summer jobs. The company will this fall commission a large-scale, student-designed artwork, and place it on the retail concourse.