Updated October 20, 2026: the Fisher Building Apartments (1896) are now listed under The Loop, so this guide now covers 38 South Loop buildings.
The South Loop is one of the largest apartment neighborhoods in this directory: 38 buildings with 13,863 apartments. It is also one of the most mixed by age. The oldest building, The Regal, was completed in 1906. The newest, Nevéseno, opened in 2025. In between are 1960s towers, a 2000s condo-era boom, and a wave of high-rises that includes two buildings of more than 70 floors. Knowing which era a building comes from tells you a lot before you tour.
Short answer: Of the South Loop’s 38 apartment buildings, 7 were built before 1990 (3,878 apartments), 9 between 2000 and 2014 (2,680), and 22 in 2015 or later (7,305). The tallest are NEMA Chicago (76 floors) and 1000M (73). CTA Red, Green and Orange Line trains stop at Roosevelt. Browse all 38 on the South Loop page.
The three eras at a glance
| Era | Buildings | Apartments | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 to 1986 | 7 | 3,878 | The Regal, Eleven Thirty, Prairie Shores |
| 2006 to 2014 | 9 | 2,680 | AMLI 900, Sky55, Astoria Tower |
| 2016 to 2025 | 22 | 7,305 | NEMA Chicago, 1000M, The Reed |
Before 1990: historic conversions and mid-century towers
The Regal (1906, 84 apartments) is the oldest South Loop building now used as rentals. Just north, the Fisher Building Apartments (1896) is listed under The Loop. Then come the large postwar complexes: Prairie Shores (1958) is the biggest in the neighborhood at 1,675 apartments across five towers, and Eleven Thirty (1967) has 656 apartments on 43 floors. Eden Commons (1968), 777 South State (1978), Park Michigan (1981) and River City (1986) round out the group.
Buildings of this age often have larger rooms and different layouts than new construction. Ask about window age, heating and cooling (some older towers use systems that switch between heat and air seasonally), and what has been renovated.
2006 to 2014: the first high-rise wave
Nine buildings opened in this window, including AMLI 900 (440 apartments, 23 floors), Sky55 (411, 40 floors), Astoria Tower (248, 30 floors) and AMLI Lofts (398, two towers). These are mid-age buildings: modern layouts and elevators, but often with original finishes or one round of updates.
2016 and later: the tallest towers
More than half of the South Loop’s buildings were completed in 2016 or later. The tallest:
| Building | Year | Floors | Apartments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEMA Chicago | 2019 | 76 | 800 |
| 1000M | 2024 | 73 | 738 |
| Sentral Michigan Avenue | 2019 | 56 | 479 |
| Arrive Michigan Avenue | 2019 | 47 | 500 |
| The Reed | 2023 | 41 | 440 |
| 1001 S State | 2016 | 40 | 397 |
Not every new building is a tower. Wells Place (2016) has 84 apartments on four floors, and 731 Plymouth (2019) has 96 on seven.
Getting around
CTA Red, Green and Orange Line trains stop at Roosevelt, and the Green Line also stops at Cermak-McCormick Place. Metra Electric serves 18th Street and McCormick Place. Because the neighborhood stretches from Printers Row south past 21st Street, check the walk from your specific building to the nearest station.
Practical tips for South Loop renters
- Ask about winter. In a high-rise, ask how heat is billed, whether windows are drafty on upper floors, and how package rooms handle holiday volume.
- Check event traffic. Buildings near McCormick Place and Soldier Field see heavier traffic on convention and game days. Ask how residents and guests park then.
- Compare eras, not just rents. A 1960s tower and a 2019 tower on the same block can differ in layout, laundry and amenities.
- Ask about elevators. In the tallest buildings, ask how many elevators serve your floor and how move-in reservations work.
Nearby neighborhoods
Compare The Loop to the north, the West Loop across the river, and Lakeshore East and Streeterville to the northeast.
