(CHICAGO) – Hines, the international real estate firm, today announced that Blue Bottle Coffee will open at Wolf Point East. Blue Bottle, the Oakland, California-based roaster and retailer of specialty coffee, will open its first Chicago cafe at the development in mid 2021, bringing its world-class single-origin and blend pour overs and espresso drinks to the Windy City. This location will mark Blue Bottle’s largest footprint to date in its entire U.S. portfolio.
Wolf Point East is a 698-unit, luxury multifamily tower located at Wolf Point, a four-acre riverfront site at the confluence of the three branches of the Chicago River. Blue Bottle Coffee will be the sole retailer occupying the building’s retail space. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, Wolf Point East also includes a market-leading amenity mix and outdoor programming consisting of extensive landscaped green spaces, curated public areas and a 1,000-foot extension of the Chicago Riverwalk.
“Wolf Point East is a world-class multifamily project, but it is our residents who truly make the building great. Adding Blue Bottle Coffee as our retail anchor provides our residents and guests with a new and soon to be unrivaled cafe experience along the Chicago River, further cementing Wolf Point East as the leading luxury tower in Chicago,” said Hines Managing Director Will Renner. “We look forward to welcoming a brand in Blue Bottle that perfectly matches the tone we set out to create at Wolf Point East.”
As one of the last remaining riverfront sites in Downtown Chicago, the location will offer guests of Blue Bottle Coffee immediate access to the Chicago Riverwalk, multiple outdoor seating areas and easy access to multiple transit options. With its permanent, protected views down the south and east legs of the Chicago River, Blue Bottle Coffee at Wolf Point East can be seen from throughout downtown Chicago.
“We’re thrilled to announce that we are bringing Blue Bottle Coffee to Chicago in 2021 with our first location at Wolf Point East,” said Karl Strovink, CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee. “ As with everything we do at Blue Bottle, it is crucial to us that we grow in a thoughtful, intentional way, and we look forward to serving our new guests at Wolf Point and in Chicago with the quality and care that we have been known for since the beginning.”
Todd Siegel and Kimberly Wiskup at Los Angeles based brokerage CBRE, Inc. represented Hines in the transaction. Philip Golding and Scott Muller, also of CBRE, Inc. represented Blue Bottle Coffee.
About Hines
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 225 cities in 25 countries. Hines has approximately $144.1 billion¹ of assets under management, including $75.5 billion for which Hines serves as investment manager, including non-real estate assets, and $68.6 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services. The firm has 165 developments currently underway around the world. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,426 properties, totaling over 472 million square feet. The firm’s current property and asset management portfolio includes 576 properties, representing over 246 million square feet. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
ÂąAUM includes both the global Hines organization as well as RIA AUM.
About Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee was founded by James Freeman in Oakland, California, in 2002. A self-declared coffee lunatic, James hand-roasted beans in a 183-square-foot potting shed and then delivered them to friends from his Peugeot wagon. Seventeen years later, Blue Bottle is now a network of cafes in ten cities in the United States, Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. Delightfully, the company continues to grow, but remains united by the simple purpose of connecting the world to delicious coffee. Visit bluebottlecoffee.com for more information.
