Water Tower Place - wikipedia Water Tower Place This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2014 ) Water Tower Place Location Chicago, Illinois, USA Opening date 1976 Owner General Growth Properties No. of stores and services 100 + No. of anchor tenants Total retail floor area 729,000 square feet ( 67,726.3 m ) No. of floors 8 View of Water Tower Place ( its mall on the left and skyscraper on the right ) with Chicago Avenue Pumping Station in the foreground and John Hancock Center in the background View of the Water Tower Place skyscraper View showing the Water Tower Place shopping mall at the base of the skyscraper, with Chicago Avenue Pumping Station in foreground Water Tower Place is a large urban, mixed - use development comprising a 758,000 sq ft ( 70,400 m ) shopping mall and 74 story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The mall is located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, along the Magnificent Mile. It is named after the nearby Chicago Water Tower, and is owned by General Growth Properties. Contents 1 History 2 The Ritz - Carlton, Chicago 3 Shopping center 4 Education 5 Position in Chicago 's skyline 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Originally planned in the late 1960s by the Mafco Company ( the former shopping center development division of Marshall Field & Co. ), the skyscraper was eventually built in 1975 by Urban Retail Properties, a company led by Philip Morris Klutznick and his son Thomas J. Klutznick. The project received a J.C. Nichols Prize from the Urban Land Institute in 1986. Modernist architect Edward D. Dart, of Loebl Schlossman Bennett and Dart, was the chief architect. The tower section is a 78 - story, 859 - foot ( 262 m ) reinforced concrete slab, faced with gray marble, and is the eighth tallest building in Chicago and the twenty - sixth tallest in the United States. When built, it was the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. It contains an award - winning Ritz - Carlton hotel, luxury condominiums and office space, and sits atop a block - long base containing an atrium - style retail mall that fronts on the Magnificent Mile. Water Tower Place 's opening changed the economic dynamics of the Magnificent Mile by bringing middle - class shops to what had been a street dominated by luxury retailers, tony hotels, and expensive apartments. It shifted downtown Chicago 's retail center of gravity north from State Street to North Michigan Avenue. Decades after its construction, its residences and hotel remain sought after addresses, and the mall is typically fully leased, drawing large enough crowds that some retailers operate outlets both inside the mall and outside it along Michigan Avenue. The 360 condo units in the tower were designed in 1974. Richard A. Meyers Realty, Inc., was the contracted sales and marketing consultant. In a recessionary market, the company was given the challenge of demonstrating the product and obtaining hard contracts before construction began. This was a challenging assignment in the recessionary climate of 1974 -- 1976. A detailed product research study was conducted by Gary S. Meyers ( 1 ), which included examining on a room - by - room basis over luxury 100 high - rise condominiums in the Chicago metropolitan area and a like number around the nation. The product analysis was then compared with sales velocities of other projects to determine buyer needs and wants and their respective acceptable price points. The net result was a mathematically designed housing product that allowed for specific space allocation for each room in each unit. The results were efficient units, where each room had a competitive advantage. Because of this unique design methodology, the condominium units are still considered well designed, even decades after their construction. After the product was designed, Richard A. Meyers Realty, Inc. and Urban Investment and Development took an entire floor in the Blair Building, 645 N. Michigan Avenue, and built several full - scale condominium units, several blocks away from the site. This combined marketing approach produced sales of over 100 units before the building was ready for occupancy, a pace that surpassed units ready for occupancy in competing buildings during the same period. In 2001, a program of refurbishments was begun, including enclosing the exterior arcade along Michigan and adding a loading dock in the middle of the block for additional retail space. Also included were updates to the escalators and fountains leading into the mall from North Michigan Avenue lobby, as well as enhancements to the sidewalk areas, the mall 's exterior facades, and department store entrances. Some of the changes included the addition of exterior glass walls and display areas for the department stores, some small specialty retail space in the renovated lobby area, and large exterior rounded, corner glass bay windows and lighted `` fins '' on the North Michigan Avenue and side street exterior walls of the mall. These last additions broke up the boxy nature of the original architecture and added some dimension and scale to the monolithic marble walls. The interior fountain between the escalators leading from the North Michigan Avenue lobby were also updated with a tiered `` pop jet '' fountain with cascading waterfalls and balls of water, controlled by computer - based choreography. The Rouse Company acquired the center in 2002 during the breakup of the then Dutch - owned Urban Shopping Centers, Inc. It was subsequently acquired by General Growth Properties. The building 's most famous full - time resident is Oprah Winfrey. Having bought a $6,000,000 condo on November 28, 2006, Oprah says she is planning to eventually sell her residence in Water Tower Place, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The Ritz - Carlton, Chicago The Ritz - Carlton, Chicago is a 435 - room AAA Five Diamond, Mobil Five Star hotel, located on floors 15 to 30 in Water Tower Place. The builders of Water Tower Place acquired the rights to use the Ritz - Carlton name and logo when they opened a hotel in the tower in 1975. This was before the modern Ritz - Carlton chain was established in the mid-1980s, using the same name and logo, which have been around since the early 20th Century, in use at various hotels. Also under terms of the agreement, no other hotel was permitted to use the Ritz - Carlton name in the Chicago area while the agreement was still in effect, meaning that the modern Ritz - Carlton chain was never able to operate a hotel in Chicago, only a nearby condominium, which they built in 2012. So that their hotel would be part of a chain, the owners of Water Tower Place contracted Four Seasons Hotels to manage the hotel in 1977. As a result, the hotel operated for decades as The Ritz - Carlton Chicago ( A Four Seasons Hotel ). It was not part of the global Ritz - Carlton chain, despite its name and use of their iconic lion logo. In 1985 the number of guest rooms was reduced to 435. The Ritz - Carlton Chicago was voted as a `` Top Large Hotel '' by Zagat Survey in 2007, and ranked 61st on the Top 100 Hotels in the World by Institutional Investor. On August 1, 2015, The Ritz Carlton Chicago ceased being a Four Seasons property and converted management and operation to Sage Hospitality of Denver, operated as a full member of The Ritz - Carlton Hotel Company LLC, and participating in and marketed with the rest of The Ritz - Carlton properties. The Ritz - Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Maryland, operates 89 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. Shopping center The mall in the Water Tower Place has eight levels of shops. Water Tower Place continues to be a shopping destination due to its size and its wide variety of shops, despite only having one anchor. The stores include three of Abercrombie & Fitch 's stores ( Hollister Co., abercrombie Kids, and Abercrombie & Fitch ). American Eagle Outfitters opened in fall 2007. Chocolatier Godiva has a location in the mall. Other retailers include Lego, Banana Republic, Lacoste, Victoria 's Secret, Sephora, CUSP, Chico 's, Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, J. Jill, Oakley, Finish Line, Inc., LIDS, Aldo, Coach, Forever 21 and the official Chicago Cubs Clubhouse Shop. Instead of a classic style food court, Water Tower Place offers multiple restaurant and cafeteria style eateries on the mezzanine level of the center, just like a classic style food court ( Mity Nice Grill and Foodlife, both owned by Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants ) as well as Wow Bao in the entrance area and Auntie Anne 's Pretzels and Red Mango on the 7th Floor. The eight - level mall has over 100 shops, including Macy 's ( formerly a branch of the renowned Marshall Field 's ), the flagship American Girl store, a live theatre, and several restaurants, arranged around a chrome - and - glass atrium with glass elevators. It was one of the first vertical malls in the world, although along North Michigan Avenue it has been joined by The Shops at North Bridge and the Avenue Atrium ( better known as 900 North Michigan ), both of which contain higher end retail mixes. The building 's design successfully addresses the challenge of providing separate entries and vertical circulation for, what amounts to a regional mall - scaled retail center, one department store, the theater, offices, hotel, and residences. Education Residents of Water Tower Place are zoned to schools in the Chicago Public Schools. Ogden School ( K - 8 ) Wells Community Academy High School Position in Chicago 's skyline See also List of skyscrapers List of tallest buildings in Chicago List of tallest buildings in the United States World 's tallest structures References Jump up ^ `` Retail Space for Lease in Chicago, IL - Water Tower Place - GGP ''. www.ggp.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018. Jump up ^ Anonymous ( December 1999 ). `` Edward D. Dart ( 1922 - 1975 ) Collection, 1841 - 1993 ( bulk 1940 - 1993 ) ''. Ryerson and Burnham Archives, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries The Art Institute of Chicago. Accession Number : 1996.2. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013. Jump up ^ Five Diamond and Five Star hotel, mobiltravelguide.howstuffworks.com Jump up ^ businesstravellogue.com 2007 World 's Top Hotels and Resorts Jump up ^ Ritz - Carlton Chicago Finally a Full Participant In The Ritz - Carlton Hotel System August 3, 2015 Jump up ^ `` Near North / West / Central Elementary Schools Archived 2013 - 05 - 17 at the Wayback Machine... '' Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved on September 17, 2009. Jump up ^ `` West / Central / South High Schools Archived 2010 - 02 - 14 at WebCite. '' Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved on September 17, 2009. This remainder of this section includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this remainder of this section by introducing more precise citations. ( November 2014 ) Dart, Susan ( 1993 ). Edward Dart Architect. ISBN 1 - 879260 - 09 - 3. Emporis listing External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Water Tower Place. Water Tower Place The Ritz - Carlton, Chicago Coordinates : 41 ° 53 ′ 52.5 '' N 87 ° 37 ′ 20.5 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 41.897917 ° N 87.622361 ° W ﻿ / 41.897917 ; - 87.622361 Chicago skyscrapers Tallest buildings 875 North Michigan Avenue Aon Center Franklin Center Trump International Hotel and Tower Two Prudential Plaza Willis Tower Selected buildings with 20 or more floors 35 East Wacker 55 East Erie Street 77 West Wacker Drive 111 South Wacker Drive 155 North Wacker 181 West Madison Street 311 South Wacker Drive 330 North Wabash 333 North Michigan 333 Wacker Drive 340 on the Park 401 East Ontario 500 West Madison 860 -- 880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 900 North Michigan 1700 East 56th Street ABN AMRO Plaza Allerton Hotel Aqua Bilandic Building The Blackstone Hotel Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower Boeing International Headquarters Carbide & Carbon Building The Chandler Chase Tower Chicago Board of Trade Building Chicago Place Chicago Temple Building City Hall Square Building Civic Opera House Coast at Lakeshore East CNA Center Crain Communications Building Dirksen Federal Building Field Building Fisher Building FOUR40 Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Grant Thornton Tower Harbor Point Hilton Chicago Home Insurance Building Hyatt Center James R. Thompson Center Joffrey Tower Kluczynski Federal Building Lake Point Tower The Lancaster LaSalle - Wacker Building Legacy Tower Leo Burnett Building London Guarantee Building Marina City Masonic Temple Mather Tower Metropolitan Tower Montauk Building NBC Tower Olympia Centre One Magnificent Mile One Museum Park One North LaSalle One North Wacker One Prudential Plaza Optima Signature Outer Drive East Palmer House Hotel Palmolive Building Park Tower The Parkshore Peoples Gas Building Pittsfield Building Plaza 440 Powhatan Apartments Presidential Towers The Regatta Regents Park Richard J. Daley Center River East Center Roanoke Building and Tower The Shoreham Skybridge The Buckingham The Fordham The Heritage at Millennium Park The Grant The Pinnacle Three First National Plaza The Tides Time - Life Building Tribune Tower Virgin Hotels Chicago Waldorf Astoria Chicago Water Tower Place Wrigley Building Chicago Landmark skyscrapers with 12 or more floors 300 West Adams Building The Arc at Old Colony Auditorium Building Brooks Building Bryn Mawr Apartment Hotel Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building Chicago Building Gage Group Buildings Heyworth Building Hilliard Towers Apartments Inland Steel Building Manhattan Building Marquette Building Marshall Field and Company Building Monadnock Building Mundelein College Skyscraper Building New York Life Insurance Building Reliance Building Rookery Building See also Architecture Art Deco Chicago City Hall Chicago School Tallest buildings Washington Block Chicago area shopping malls Enclosed 108 North State Street 900 North Michigan Belvidere Mall Century Centre Chicago Ridge Mall Deerbrook Mall Fashion Outlets of Chicago Ford City Mall Fox Valley Mall Golf Mill Shopping Center Gurnee Mills Harlem Irving Plaza Hawthorn Mall James R. Thompson Center Lincolnwood Town Center Louis Joliet Mall Navy Pier North Riverside Park Mall North Park Plaza Northbrook Court Northfield Square Oak Mill Mall Orland Square River Oaks Center Shops at the Mart The Shops at North Bridge Southlake Mall Spring Hill Mall Stratford Square Mall The Village Shopping Center Water Tower Place Woodfield Mall Yorktown Center Lifestyle / Outdoor Algonquin Commons Algonquin Galleria The Arboretum of South Barrington Burr Ridge Village Center Cermak Plaza Chicago Premium Outlets Deer Park Town Center Geneva Commons The Glen Town Center The Grove Lincolnshire Commons Main Street Promenade Naperville Crossings Northgate Shopping Center Oakbrook Center Orland Park Crossing Plaza del Lago Porter 's Vale The Promenade Bolingbrook The Quentin Collection Randhurst Village Renaissance Place Springbrook Prairie Pavilion Sutton Park Shopping Center The Streets of Woodfield Town & Country Center Town Square Wheaton Westfield Old Orchard Former / Defunct 1800 N. Clybourn Brementowne Mall Brickyard Mall Century Mall Charlestowne Mall Chicago Place Crystal Point Mall Dixie Square Mall Hillcrest Shopping Center Hillside Shopping Center Huntley Outlet Center Jefferson Square Mall Lakehurst Mall Lincoln Mall Meadows Town Mall Meadowvale Mall North Pier Old Chicago One Schaumburg Place Orland Park Place Park Forest Plaza Piano Factory Outlet Mall The Plaza St. Charles Mall South Commons Mall Washington Square Mall ( Homewood ) Woodmar Mall Shopping malls in Illinois Cook County Chicago 108 North State Street 900 North Michigan Century Centre Chinatown Square Ford City Mall Harper Court James R. Thompson Center Navy Pier Roosevelt Collection The Shops at North Bridge Shops at the Mart Six Corners Water Tower Place Elsewhere The Arboretum of South Barrington Arlington Town Square Burr Ridge Village Center Chicago Ridge Mall Fashion Outlets of Chicago Forest Park Plaza The Glen Town Center Golf Mill Shopping Center Harlem Irving Plaza Lincolnwood Town Center North Riverside Park Mall Northbrook Court Oak Mill Mall Orland Park Crossing Orland Park Place Orland Square Mall Plaza del Lago Randhurst Village River Oaks Center The Streets of Woodfield Town & Country Center Westfield Old Orchard Woodfield Mall DuPage County Fox Valley Mall The Grove North Park Plaza Oakbrook Center Stratford Square Mall Town Square Wheaton Yorktown Center Kane County Algonquin Commons Chicago Premium Outlets Galleria Center Geneva Commons The Quad St. Charles Spring Hill Mall Lake County Belvidere Discount Mall Deer Park Town Center Deerbrook Mall Deerfield Square Gurnee Mills Hawthorn Mall Lincolnshire Commons Market Square The Quentin Collection Renaissance Place Will County Louis Joliet Mall The Promenade Bolingbrook Rockford Area Cherryvale Mall Colonial Village Mall Machesney Park Mall Peoria Area East Court Village Northwoods Mall The Shoppes at Grand Prairie Champaign - Urbana Area Market Place Shopping Center Urbana - Lincoln Hotel - Lincoln Square Mall Bloomington - Normal Area Eastland Mall The Shoppes at College Hills East St. Louis Area Alton Square Mall St. Clair Square Elsewhere Cross County Mall Crystal Point Mall Hickory Point Mall Illinois Star Centre Lincoln Mall ( Freeport ) Northfield Square Northland Mall Peru Mall Quincy Mall Sandburg Mall SouthPark Mall Times Square Shopping Center University Mall Village Mall White Oaks Mall Defunct 1800 N. Clybourn Brementown Mall Brickyard Mall Chicago Place Chicagoland Outlets Dixie Square Mall Hillcrest Shopping Center Huntley Outlet Center Jefferson Square Mall Lakehurst Mall Lincoln Mall ( Matteson ) Meadows Town Mall North Pier Old Chicago Park Forest Plaza Piano Factory Outlet Mall The Plaza South Commons Mall St. Charles Mall Washington Square Mall West Point Center GGP Inc. All properties are in the United States Key people Martin Bucksbaum, Matthew Bucksbaum, John Bucksbaum, Andrew M. Rosenfield GGP malls Properties of the Midwest Illinois Lincolnshire Commons Market Place Mall Northbrook Court Oakbrook Center Water Tower Place Indiana Glenbrook Square Iowa Coral Ridge Mall Jordan Creek Town Center Michigan The Crossroads Lakeside Mall RiverTown Crossings Minnesota Apache Mall Crossroads Center Eden Prairie Center Ridgedale Center River Hills Mall Missouri Columbia Mall Plaza Frontenac Saint Louis Galleria Nebraska Oak View Mall Westroads Mall Ohio Beachwood Place Kenwood Towne Centre The Shops at Fallen Timbers Wisconsin Fox River Mall Mayfair Mall Oakwood Mall Properties of the Northeast Connecticut Brass Mill Center The Shoppes at Buckland Hills SoNo Collection Maine The Maine Mall Massachusetts Natick Mall New Jersey Bridgewater Commons Paramus Park Willowbrook Mall Woodbridge Center New York Staten Island Mall Pennsylvania Neshaminy Mall Park City Center Rhode Island Providence Place Properties of the South Alabama Riverchase Galleria Arkansas Pinnacle Hills Promenade Delaware Christiana Mall Florida Altamonte Mall Bayside Marketplace Coastland Center Governor 's Square Mizner Park The Oaks Mall Pembroke Lakes Mall Village of Merrick Park Georgia Augusta Mall Cumberland Mall North Point Mall Oglethorpe Mall Peachtree Mall Perimeter Mall The Shoppes at River Crossing Southlake Mall Kentucky Florence Greenwood Mall Mall St. Matthews Oxmoor Center Louisiana Mall of Louisiana Oakwood Center Pecanland Mall Maryland Harborplace The Mall in Columbia Mondawmin Mall Towson Town Center White Marsh Mall North Carolina Carolina Place Mall Four Seasons Town Centre The Streets at Southpoint Oklahoma Quail Springs Mall Sooner Mall South Carolina Columbiana Centre Texas Baybrook Mall Deerbrook Mall First Colony Mall Hulen Mall North Star Mall The Parks at Arlington The Shops at La Cantera Stonebriar Centre Town East Mall Willowbrook Mall The Woodlands Mall Virginia Lynnhaven Mall Tysons Galleria Properties of the West Arizona Park Place Tucson Mall California Galleria at Tyler Glendale Galleria Northridge Fashion Center Otay Ranch Town Center Stonestown Galleria Valley Plaza Mall Visalia Mall Colorado Park Meadows Southwest Plaza Hawaii Ala Moana Center Prince Kuhio Plaza Idaho Grand Teton Mall Nevada Fashion Show Mall Grand Canal Shoppes Meadows Mall The Shoppes at the Palazzo New Mexico Coronado Center Oregon Clackamas Town Center Pioneer Place Rogue Valley Mall Utah Fashion Place Newgate Mall Red Cliffs Mall Washington Alderwood Mall Bellis Fair NorthTown Mall Spokane Valley Mall Westlake Center Wyoming Eastridge Mall Rouse Properties malls Properties of the east Alabama Bel Air Mall Florida Lakeland Square Mall Illinois Spring Hill Mall Maryland The Centre at Salisbury Michigan Birchwood Mall Grand Traverse Mall Lansing Mall Southland Center Westwood Mall New Jersey Monmouth Mall North Carolina Greenville Mall Valley Hills Mall Virginia Chesterfield Towne Center Properties of the west Arkansas The Mall at Turtle Creek Arizona The Mall at Sierra Vista California Bayshore Mall Chula Vista Center NewPark Mall Southland Mall The Shoppes at Carlsbad West Valley Mall Idaho Silver Lake Mall Louisiana Mall St. Vincent Pierre Bossier Mall Minnesota Shoppes at Knollwood New Mexico Animas Valley Mall North Plains Mall Oklahoma Washington Park Mall Oregon The Shoppes at Gateway Texas Collin Creek Mall Sikes Senter Vista Ridge Mall Utah Cache Valley Mall Washington Three Rivers Mall Wyoming White Mountain Mall Related articles Homart Development Company Howard Hughes Corporation The Rouse Company Rouse Properties South Street Seaport Summerlin Hotels in Chicago The Alise Chicago The Blackstone Hotel Chicago Beach Hotel Congress Plaza Hotel DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago Magnificent Mile Drake Hotel Four Seasons Hotel Hard Rock Hotel Chicago Hilton Chicago Hyatt Regency Chicago Inn of Chicago InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile Kinzie Hotel Loews Chicago Hotel LondonHouse Chicago Hotel The Palmer House Hilton Park Hyatt Chicago The Peninsula Chicago Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel The Ritz - Carlton Chicago Silversmith Hotel Sisson Hotel Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile Swissôtel Chicago Trump International Hotel and Tower Virgin Hotels Chicago Waldorf Astoria Chicago Warwick Allerton - Chicago Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_Tower_Place&oldid=851138209 '' Categories : Residential buildings completed in 1976 Skyscraper office buildings in Chicago Residential condominiums in Chicago Residential skyscrapers in Chicago Condo hotels in the United States Shopping centers in Chicago GGP Inc. Tourist attractions in Chicago Edward D. Dart structures The Ritz - Carlton Hotel Company Skyscraper hotels in Chicago Hidden categories : All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from August 2009 Webarchive template wayback links Webarchive template webcite links Articles needing additional references from January 2014 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2011 Articles lacking in - text citations from November 2014 All articles lacking in - text citations Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara Français Lietuvių Nederlands Polski Português Simple English Slovenčina 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 July 2018, at 10 : 02 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: how many floors in the water tower place
Answer: 8