Broker Round Table: 500 Lake Shore Drive

The Broker Round Table Series focuses on a different luxury apartment property each week. Luxury Living Chicago Realty’s proficient team of brokers has 84 years of combined  experience in downtown Chicago’s luxury market. Since 2013, the team has rented 1500 apartments. The brokerage team provides best-in-class service for renters and buyers searching for a new home; each broker has a wealth of knowledge about every luxury property in downtown Chicago. The Broker Round Table series allows the team to play favorites and choose the best part of the week’s featured building.  

500 Lake Shore Drive was Related’s first development in Chicago; the 2013 opening effectively changed the city’s luxury rental market and raised the bar. The property, located in the Streeterville neighborhood spared no expense, with high-end finishes and stunning community amenity spaces. Each apartment features floor-to-ceiling windows, wide-plank wood flooring throughout, and gourmet kitchens. Extra touches include custom-designed stove hoods, built-in storage shelving, and soft close hinges on every cabinet and drawer. The LEED Gold certified building includes a residents-only Equinox® fitness center, cinema room, outdoor pool deck with barbecues, and an on-site pet spa.

Here’s what each broker spotlighted as their favorite part of 500 Lake Shore Drive:

Julie Markowitz: 500 has a beautiful amenity floor- both inside and outside spaces. Perfect space to have a small party. Also, every apartment has great city, river and lake views!

Axel Cohen: My favorite thing about 500 N Lake Shore is the condo qualities found within the apartments. The soft close drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, the custom organizers in the bedroom closets, the gas range with the stainless steel hood, and the quartz countertops. Stuff like that is not normally found in the rental properties.

Sam Kahn: I love the views from the units in 500 Lake Shore Drive.  There is not a prettier view in Chicago, where residents have the ability to look out the east windows at the lake, and look out the west windows to view the city, all from the same apartment.

Tamara Hirsch: 500 Lake Shore allows people to live in a high-rise building with a true neighborhood feel surrounding it.  When you walk out of the door you can choose to do any number of things: hop over on the beach, bike and running path. or go to Navy Pier if you feel like doing something a little touristy like a boat ride.  On the weekend, take your pick from several different brunch places, from Kanella’s in the retail space of the building, to Yolk one block away, or Pinstripes’ restaurant with a view of the river.  Take a walk and bring your dog to Olive Park, the River Walk, or sit and people watch in the park directly across the building.  The additional bonus is the easy access to Lake Shore Drive for those that have to travel in their car.

Tristen Heimann: As one of the first properties to come online after the recession in May 2013, 500 LSD truly redefined the rental vernacular for downtown living. The Manhattan-based developer, Related, certainly spared no expense and cut no corners as it provides many keynote features too long to list. Some of my favorite details are from the high quality custom designed kitchens, down to a 31,000sf amenity floor with its own private Equinox gym for residents. It’s an all-around  5 star resort lifestyle, but all within the comfort of being at home.

Jill Casey: I love the gourmet kitchens featured in all units with luxury finishes and high-end appliances.

Elise Kaufmann: 500 Lake Shore is a special building and most clients understand that immediately upon setting foot in the lobby. The entrance is somehow grand and inviting at the same time, with an amazing concierge team that truly takes care of the residents’ every need.

Darrell Scott: 500 Lake Shore Drive is one of the top rental buildings in all of downtown Chicago.  Related, the developer, didn’t cut any corners with finishes: from high-end, soft close Snaidero cabinetry, hardwood floors throughout, built-in shelving/ closets, and floor to ceiling glass.  The views are incredible, and the colors from the lake are the perfect contrast against the interior finishes on a bright, sunny day.  It also doesn’t hurt that the building has a private Equinox Gym and one of the best pool decks in the entire city!





Leasing consultants and property management companies, please contact us to have your building featured in our weekly Broker Round Table series.