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Google buys Thompson Center from Illinois

By and Associated Press
Published  July 27, 2022 11:59am CDT
Google
Associated Press

Google buys Thompson Center from Illinois for $105M

The state, meanwhile, will move nearly 1,800 employees from the Thompson Center and other downtown office space to the newly acquired building on South LaSalle Street.

CHICAGO - Google is moving into the Thompson Center, the state building in downtown Chicago, officials announced Wednesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state is selling the building to a developer for $30 million in cash and also getting another downtown building valued at $75 million.

"The Thompson Center gives us a presence in the central business district, enabling us to get in on the ground floor of revitalizing the Loop with its unparalleled access to public transit, which is so important to today’s hybrid workforce," said Karen Sauder, Google’s president of global clients and agency solutions.

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The Thompson Center, a hulking all-glass building designed by Helmut Jahn, opened in 1985 as the State of Illinois Center. It was renamed in 1993 for Jim Thompson, who served as governor from 1977-91.

JRTC Holdings LLC will renovate the Thompson Center to meet Google’s needs.

The state, meanwhile, will move nearly 1,800 employees from the Thompson Center and other downtown office space to the newly acquired building on South LaSalle Street.

"This transformative agreement will save our taxpayers nearly a billion dollars over the next thirty years and further Chicago’s reputation as one of the great tech hubs not just of the United States, but of the world," Pritzker said.