The Bell

In Chicago’s Loop, The Bell recasts a mid-century corporate landmark as a cultural workplace. Built in 1966 for the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, the tower’s New Formalist marble, terrazzo, and glass remain the framework for a new 100,000-square-foot amenity sequence, carrying forward the ambition and confidence of its era into the present.

The project was conceived not as a set of upgrades but as a continuous interior world of hospitality-driven amenity spaces. Lobby, restaurant, lounges, wellness, and terraces are linked into a vertical campus, a suite of environments akin to a members’ club, where work, leisure, and ritual converge.

At street level, the lobby carries forward original materials while expanding their vocabulary with custom textiles, geometric art, and a variety of seating. At its edge, Solette, a 200-seat bistro and bar, introduces hospitality directly into the arrival sequence.

Above, lounges, games rooms, cowork, sports courts, and wellness suites extend the life of the building beyond its office floors. The Clubhouse, cabana terraces, and The Apartment occupy the upper levels, establishing social, recreational, and restorative destinations with views across the skyline.

The Bell frames workplace not as function alone, but as a layered environment, one where hospitality, community, and the legacy of Chicago’s mid-century design remain intertwined.