Lakeshore East neighborhood guide
Development
The Lakeshore East site was once Illinois Central Railroad rail yards and later held a golf course. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill completed a master plan for the 28-acre site in 2001, and Magellan Development Group is the developer. The plan arranges buildings around a central park and connects to surrounding streets that run on multiple levels. Lakeshore East contains high-rise apartment and condominium towers, hotels, offices and a school, and several of its towers are among the tallest buildings in Chicago.
Parks & Recreation
The park at the center of Lakeshore East, listed by the Chicago Park District as Lake Shore East Park at 450 E. Benton Place, was donated to the Park District by the developers in 2004. The park has a playground, an interactive water feature, a dog-friendly area, gardens and a walking path. Maggie Daley Park lies just south of Randolph Street and connects to Millennium Park by the BP Pedestrian Bridge. The Chicago Riverwalk runs along the river to the north.
Transit
Lakeshore East is served by bus routes 4 Cottage Grove, which ends at Columbus and Randolph; 6 Jackson Park Express, which ends at Wacker and Columbus; and 60 Blue Island/26th, which ends at Harbor Drive and Randolph. CTA ‘L’ service is to the west at Washington/Wabash on the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple lines and Lake on the Red Line. Millennium Station, at Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue, serves the Metra Electric and South Shore Line trains. Pedway segments link Lakeshore East to the Chicago Pedway.
Community Area
Lakeshore East is part of the Loop, official Chicago community area 32.
