Fulton Market just got a little taller. The 19-story apartment tower rising at 1221 W. Washington has officially topped out, marking structural completion on a project that is set to bring 287 rentals, ground-floor retail and an amenity-heavy package to the southwest edge of the neighborhood. First move-ins are projected for early 2027 as crews pivot to interior work.
Topping out milestone
Focus Development has reached the classic hard-hat milestone at 1221 W. Washington, with crews recently setting the final structural element on the tower. The topping out pushes the project firmly into its next phase as it heads toward leasing and eventual move-ins, as reported by Urbanize Chicago. The 19-story building rises over the West Loop edge of Fulton Market, staking a claim in a neighborhood where every new crane still turns heads.
Design and resident amenities
Designed by Pappageorge Haymes, the project pairs a brick-clad concrete podium with a glass curtain wall above, a familiar combo in the modern Fulton Market skyline. Partners By Design is handling the interiors.
The developer’s project page at Focus shows the tower at roughly 286,232 gross square feet, with 287 apartments stacked over about 2,700 square feet of ground-floor retail and 110 resident parking spaces. Focus also lists more than 25,000 square feet of amenities, including three rooftop decks with a pool, a spa area with indoor hot tub and sauna, a fitness center with dedicated yoga and spin studios, private co‑working space and a dog spa and run. The same project overview points to 2027 as the targeted completion year.
Money and schedule
The team lined up roughly $96 million in capital for the development, including a $71.6 million construction loan from CIBC and $23.9 million in preferred equity from Heitman, Bisnow reported. The Real Deal also broke down the debt-and-equity stack and the development team’s rationale for pushing ahead with a ground-up apartment project in a relatively light downtown construction pipeline.
Focus is serving as general contractor on its own project. First deliveries are currently projected for January 2027, according to Urbanize Chicago, which puts 1221 W. Washington on track to hit the market just as a new wave of downtown renters start shopping for fresh inventory.
Where it fits in Fulton Market
Local construction watchers have followed 1221 W. Washington from foundation permits through active pile work and crane erection, a steady march that signaled the project was a go even as other proposals stalled, Chicago YIMBY reported. That progress comes amid a thin pipeline of new ground-up multifamily starts downtown, a backdrop that helps explain why developers are leaning into smaller-format units paired with a generous amenity slate.
Brokers and planners say 1221 will be one more live test of demand in a still-redeveloping Fulton Market, where office-to-residential conversions are unfolding nearby and every new building becomes a data point in how much the neighborhood can absorb.
Leasing and next steps
Prospective renters already have a digital front door: the developers have launched a project site at rent1221.com. They say leasing details and pricing will roll out as the building gets closer to delivery.
With Focus managing construction and a marketing push expected to follow, local observers will be watching early leasing velocity when units come online in early 2027. The tower’s debut will help answer a closely watched question in the neighborhood: can Fulton Market comfortably take on another new rental project without putting extra squeeze on the rest of the market.
