DOWNTOWN — That big hole on the Chicago River is looking more like an Apple Store.
Construction crews recently laid down the bones of a staircase that will take shoppers down to the new Apple Store being built on the Downtown riverfront:
[DNAinfo/Shamus Toomey]
The stairs are the latest sign of progress for the 20,000-square-foot store, which is replacing Apple's existing store at 679 N. Michigan Ave. Crews axed some riverfront trees months ago for the project, and have steadily been carving out space for Apple's new environs on the Chicago River since.
A rendering of the stairs taking shoppers down to the new Apple store. [Foster + Partners]
Designed by London-based Foster+Partners, the store will consist of a glass box stretching from Pioneer Court at 401 N. Michigan Ave. down to the riverfront. Apple announced its plans to move its store last year.
"Our store on North Michigan Avenue has welcomed more than 23 million customers since it opened in 2003 and we're now creating something even more remarkable for Chicago," Nick Leahy, an Apple spokesman, told DNAinfo last year.
Apple has been mum on the project timeline since making its announcement, and Leahy did not provide a project update when asked Tuesday.
Scroll down below for more looks at the work under progress and renderings of the finished store:
The store Tuesday. [DNAinfo/Shamus Toomey]
[All renderings by Foster + Partners]
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