Head up to the top of 875 N. Michigan Ave. and the skyline suddenly looks a little sharper. Crews have started swapping out the tower's older, dark-tinted glazing on the 95th floor for new insulated panes that brighten the room and clean up the view. The window work is the first obvious step in a larger plan to pull the former Signature Room space into an expanded 360 CHICAGO experience across the 95th and 96th floors. Operators say the glass swap shows visible progress while a broader multimillion-dollar overhaul of the building's uppermost floors continues behind the scenes.
New Panes, Clearer Sight Lines
360 CHICAGO recently invited reporters to watch crews pull out windows that date back to the tower's 1969 construction and set new insulated glass that improves both sight lines and energy performance. Each replacement pane is about 5 by 8 feet and weighs roughly 350 pounds, and crews installed 201 new panels while removing 209 older panes during the demonstration, as reported by Axios. The swap called for two workers on an exterior platform and three installers inside to scrape away old tape and guide each new window into place. Christopher Glass & Aluminum, the Chicago glazing contractor credited with the project, highlights high-rise re-glazing and curtain-wall work on its site.
Three Floors Become One
A June 2025 press release from 360 CHICAGO and parent company Magnicity lays out the broader vision. The firm purchased the 95th and 96th floors in June 2024 and is planning a multimillion-dollar renovation that will add a triple-height atrium and a grand staircase linking floors 94 through 96, according to the release. Under the plan, the 96th floor will be reimagined as a private events venue, while the 95th floor joins the public observation experience. The project is expected to open to visitors in 2027, the release says. Managing director Nichole Benolken told the release the build-out aims to keep the celebratory spirit of the Signature Room alive while updating mechanical systems and the overall guest journey. Concept details are laid out in 360 CHICAGO's announcement.
What Locals Will See
Local outlets that covered the unveiling have been running renderings and progress photos, playing up both the history of the space and the scale of the revamp. The Signature Room closed in September 2023, which left the top-floor footprint open for reuse. 360 officials say they do not plan to close the existing 94th-floor deck while the staircase and other construction move ahead, according to coverage by the Chicago Sun-Times. That should keep the landmark deck in play for residents even as crews tear into the floors above.
Taken together, the glazing work is a small but very visible sign of a bigger shift. 360 CHICAGO says the finished three-floor attraction will be Chicago's largest observation deck and part of a broader effort to deepen both tourist and local appeal at the Magnificent Mile site, as reported by Axios. Expect more noticeable construction at the top of the tower as teams keep swapping out glass and building out the new floors ahead of the mid-2027 opening window.
