Lobby of The William Blair in April during ribbon-cutting ceremony.
William Blair completed its global headquarters move to a sparkling
54-story office tower on the Chicago riverfront on August 1.
Located at 150 North Riverside Plaza, the new headquarters reflects five years of research and planning to create a state-of-the-art home for staff and clients that will support the firm’s growth in the coming decades.
"Our new headquarters will meet our growing needs as a premier global financial services firm, providing our clients and colleagues a more collaborative space to meet our clients’ evolving investment goals,” said John Ettelson, president and CEO of William Blair.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who attended the building’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in April, described William Blair’s new home as a city “gem.”
Goettsch Partners, based in Chicago, was the architect of the 1.2 million-square-foot office tower, surrounded by a 1.5-acre park and walkway along the Chicago River. Interior Architects in Chicago designed William Blair’s offices and meeting areas.
The overall vision that drove the new headquarters’ workplace design was to create an environment that positively affects client results, fosters employee engagement, and promotes collaboration.
The building is LEED-Gold certified and exceeds all local code requirements for energy and efficiency. Among its many architectural features is a lobby with its non-structurally supported glass wall, the tallest in the country, and 360-degree views of the Chicago skyline surrounding the offices.
The skyscraper was also designed to touch the ground in as minimal space as possible and still maintain stability. The concrete central wall extends 125 feet into the bedrock below.
A Chicago Tribune review describes the building as “a powerfully sculpted office tower that writes the latest chapter in the fabled Chicago story of integrating engineering and architecture.”
William Blair, a global investment banking and asset management firm, is based in Chicago and has offices in 10 cities worldwide. The employee-owned firm, with assets of $84 billion as of March 31, 2017, was founded in Chicago in 1935 by William McCormick Blair and has expanded to 1,500 employees globally, with 1,200 in Chicago.
Global headquarters new address is:
William Blair
The William Blair Building
150 North Riverside Plaza
Chicago, IL 60606
+1 312 236 1600
+1 800 621 0687