Best Buildings Near the Riverwalk and Downtown Landmarks

TL;DR Some buildings put the postcard Chicago at your doorstep. Wolf Point's riverfront towers, OneEleven, MILA, and Lake & Wells sit beside the Riverwalk, Millennium Park, and the city's landmark core, so the river, the Bean, and the lakefront are all a short walk away. Here is where downtown is your front yard.

There is a certain magic to living where the postcard version of Chicago is your everyday backdrop, the river, Millennium Park, the skyline at golden hour. A handful of buildings put all of it within a short walk. Here are the addresses where downtown's icons are your front yard.

The buildings closest to the landmarks

The leaders sit right where the river, the parks, and the Loop's icons converge.

Wolf Point East and West in River North are the literal riverfront pick, perched where the Chicago River forks, with the Riverwalk and the water right there. OneEleven, MILA, and Lake & Wells in the Loop put you a short walk from the Riverwalk, Millennium Park with Cloud Gate, Maggie Daley Park, and the lakefront beyond.

These same buildings top our parks ranking, because the landmark core is also the most park-dense part of the city.

What the Riverwalk adds

The Chicago Riverwalk is one of the best things the city has built, a 1.25-mile path along the river lined with restaurants, wine bars, kayak launches, and seating right at the water. Living beside it means an evening glass of wine by the river, a morning walk along the water, or a kayak launch on a summer weekend, all part of normal life rather than a planned outing.

Add Millennium Park's free summer concerts, the Bean, and the lakefront a few blocks east, and your weekends fill themselves.

The trade-off

This is the heart of downtown, so it is lively and busy, the appeal for some and a lot for others. A higher floor with a river or park view gives you the icons and the calm of being above the street. It is worth asking about views and orientation when you tour, since a landmark view is part of what you are paying for.

How to use this

If you want Chicago's iconic core as your backdrop, the riverfront and landmark-adjacent buildings above are the picks. For the green-space angle, see our best buildings for outdoor lovers ranking, and for the neighborhoods, our living in the Loop and living in River North guides. Then browse current openings and book a tour.

Hero image: Photo by Adrien Olichon on Pexels