We hosted the first AI Builders Day Chicago with Intercom.

I had an opportunity to interview the co-founder and CTO of Coinflow about the catalysts driving stablecoin adoption, building an engineering org in the Midwest, and what the next wave of payments innovation will look like

We wrapped our final AI Tinkerers meetup of 2025. Our community grew meaningfully this year with 1,636 members, 22 meetups hosted, and 138 demos submitted since we got started.

We also hosted a private founder dinner as part of the Multi Agent Supper Club, partnering with Turing and SVB to bring together a small group of CEOs for a high signal, off the record conversation.

Last week I shared a post about megaprojects coming to Chicago that signal optimism for the future.

It went viral.

These aren't just construction initiatives.

They’re neighborhood defining megaprojects that position Chicago for a strong future.

So today: let’s go through each project one by one so I can share more details about how they came to be and what they plan to do.

The Google Chicago HQ project is a $280m renovation and it represents an important moment for downtown revitalization.

Specifically in the Loop.

The project centers on the purchase adaptive reuse of the Thompson Center which is an iconic, but long neglected structure designed by Helmut Jahn and opened in 1985.

Before Google bought it, the building became functionally outdated and maintenance heavy, leading to Illinois governors proposing selling the state owned property to end the high operating costs.

Google bought the building in 2022 and saved it from likely demolition.

The current renovation, which includes a total redesign of the distinctive glass facade to improve thermal performance and a complete internal overhaul, will bring the architectural landmark into the 21st century as a sustainable, modern workspace, solidifying the Loop's shift toward a dynamic tech and business center.

The 78 is a massive $7B privately funded new community being built literally from the ground up on 62 acres of formerly vacant land along the South Branch of the Chicago River.

This property was part of a massive rail yard and lumber district, which was central to Chicago’s industrial past but left largely undeveloped following the decline of rail operations in the 20th century.

Developer Related Midwest acquired control of the property around 2016 with the vision of creating Chicago’s 78th official neighborhood, hence the name.

The project's massive scale and complexity required years of negotiation and the establishment of a large Tax Increment Financing district.

(I wrote about TIF funding here)

The area will be getting a new Red Line station and significant riverfront work.

It will also host the new privately financed Chicago Fire FC soccer stadium.

400 Lake Shore Drive is one of my favorite new developments coming to Chicago.

It’s a $1B project to fix one of Chicago’s most infamous urban failures: the former site of the Chicago Spire.

Some history on the Spire: In the mid 2000s, two developers proposed the Chicago Spire, which would have been the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Construction began, but the project collapsed into bankruptcy during the Great Recession, leaving behind a massive, 76 foot-deep pit.

Now we have a much more feasible design of two residential tower that will deliver over 1,100 residential units but is legally obligated to complete the long-awaited final stretch of the Chicago Riverwalk where it meets Lake Michigan.

The Bronzeville Lakefront is a new $3.8B plan to redevelop the 71-acre campus of the former Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center which closed its doors in 2008.

The City of Chicago acquired the site and through a multi year RFP process ultimately selected a development team in 2017. The project’s genesis is rooted in a focus on creating a new economic engine for the South Side that leverages the area’s history and promotes wellness.

The plan centers around a massive Health Innovation Center which will bring millions of square feet of commercial space, labs, and mixed income housing.

This project will create a modern high-tech community where the hospital once stood, providing a crucial institutional anchor and creating thousands of jobs while incorporating over nine acres of new green space for the community.

Also coming to the South Side: the $9B Illinois Quantum Park.

The vision of this project is to make Chicago a global leader in quantum computing and microelectronics.

The site itself is deeply historic: it occupies a portion of the former US Steel South Works complex, a massive lakefront industrial mill that operated from the late 19th century until its closure in 1992.

After decades of environmental remediation and failed proposals for residential development, the site is now being repurposed. The project’s start is strategically designed to attract anchor tenants like PsiQuantum, to build America’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer.

The 1901 Project is an estimated $7B private investment led by the owners of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, dedicated to transforming over 55 acres of surface parking lots surrounding the United Center on the Near West Side.

For years, this area has been car-centric parking infrastructure. The goal of this multi-phased project is to fundamentally convert this space into a genuine neighborhood.

The project includes major community benefits, such as a large commitment to creating over a thousand transit-oriented affordable housing units and the construction of a new 6,000-seat music hall.

This is my last newsletter of 2025.

So before we get into this week’s events, I want to say thank you!

I covered a lot of ground in LandonsLoop this year, and it’s grown in ways I never could have imagined.

It’s been incredible to spend the year covering what’s happening across our city. 49 editions were delivered to your inboxes in 2025. From our national labs to our newly minted unicorns, there’s so much to talk about in Chicago.

Truly no place I’d rather be building than here.

See you in 2026.

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