The James R. Thompson Center at 100 West Randolph Street has been under construction since May 2024, and as of September 2026 the transformation into Google's new Chicago headquarters is finally starting to look real.
But anyone hoping to walk through those doors soon will have to wait. Google announced on September 16, 2026, that the building will now officially open to employees and the public in 2028, pushing back earlier targets of 2026 or 2027.
What's Actually Changing on the Outside
The building's facade is the most visible sign of progress. As of late August 2026, the new exterior facade is largely complete, replacing the old glass with a triple-glazed curtain wall.
Renderings once suggested a fully transparent look, but recent reports describe the installed glass as having a reflective finish instead.
At street level, the original red and beige stone has been swapped out too. The ground floor now features a new colonnade made of concrete and brass, below the building's signature sloped glass.
Despite the visible progress, this is still very much an active job site.
The Atrium Survives, With Some New Additions
For longtime Chicagoans, the biggest question has always been what happens to the building's famous 17-story atrium. The answer, per new renderings released in September 2026, is that it stays.
The iconic flooring rosette at the center of the atrium has been preserved as a tribute to Helmut Jahn's original 1985 design, and the atrium itself will remain a public space.
New additions include a cascading staircase with terraced seating connecting the ground floor to a sunken lower level, plus outdoor terraces added to the building's setbacks.
Out on the plaza, Google has commissioned artist Sanford Biggers to install "Vector," a 30-foot-tall sculpture made from glazed terracotta tiles and 19th-century quilts. Google is also partnering with After School Matters on a student-designed art installation for the retail concourse.
Who's Moving In, and Who's Still Riding the Train Through It
Google plans to occupy roughly 600,000 square feet of the building's approximately 954,000 total square feet, taking the lower nine floors, for which it received interior permits in early 2026.
The remaining 354,000 square feet is being marketed to other commercial and retail tenants, with CBRE handling office leasing and Savills managing the retail space.
The redevelopment is being managed by a joint venture of The Prime Group and Capri Investment Group. Through it all, the building keeps its direct connection to the Clark/Lake CTA station, which links riders to six "L" train lines and is undergoing its own renovation to match the new design.
The son of the original architect, Evan Jahn, is leading the redesign, and has said his goal is to keep the building's original spirit of transparency while modernizing it for a tech-industry tenant.
The Local’s Guide
- Address: 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago
- Neighborhood: The Loop
