A massive residential development featuring skyscrapers in Bronzeville was recently proposed during a community meeting, where residents voiced concern about the project, including a data center.
Called Metropolis Pointe, the proposed development would sit on 6.6 acres at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and 26th Street. Just yards from the Great Migration statue, the development would be located south of McCormick Place and adjacent to the former Michael Reese Hospital site, where Bronzeville Lakefront—another large-scale development—is underway. Griffin Venture Group is the development firm behind the project.
In a nod to Bronzeville and its history as a Black metropolis, the development will include two glassy, bronze-colored skyscrapers. Designed by Wight & Company and Studio Barnes, renderings show a 50-story tower rising 560 feet on the northern side of the site, broken into three vertical sections with rounded corners and an observation deck at the top. A shorter mid-rise with a complementary design would stand at the site’s southeast corner, with a podium extending across the development.
Metropolis Pointe would include nearly 600 high-end apartments and about 30 condominiums at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 26th Street.
JC Griffin Sr., founder of Griffin Venture Group, said the 50-story tower will include a proposed 16,800-square-foot “sky veranda” near the rooftop. The project is expected to cost $900 million, according to Urbanize Chicago.
Griffin said the project will be “100 percent privately funded.”
Residents reportedly expressed concern when Griffin said the first phase of the project would include construction of a data center, which they said—citing news reports—can consume large amounts of energy and sometimes raise utility costs.
Griffin disagreed, saying the data center would have no greater impact on Bronzeville residents’ electric bills than similar facilities built elsewhere in the state. He said the data center would generate heat that could help power hundreds of residences, increasing energy efficiency and potentially lowering utility costs.
Ahmad Shams, director of business development for CenTrio, agreed with Griffin. He said energy-intensive data centers generate massive amounts of heat, which is captured in a closed-loop system that reduces utility costs.
Griffin Venture Group has secured a letter of interest from Houston-based CenTrio Energy, which maintains downtown Chicago cooling systems serving more than 100 buildings, he said, to develop a plan using the data center to help power the rest of Metropolis Pointe.
To gain approval, Griffin Venture Group and its partners must hold additional community meetings to build public support and then secure the necessary approvals from city planners and the City Council. Alderman Lamont Robinson (4th Ward), whose district includes the site, is reportedly in discussions with Griffin Venture Group about its plans.
As part of the proposal, Griffin is seeking to purchase the 6.6-acre site, which reportedly would cost $28 million.
The plans come amid a development boom that has heightened concerns about gentrification in Bronzeville. Numerous apartment buildings and condominiums have been constructed in the neighborhood over the past seven years. However, the most active area of development remains the northern portion of Bronzeville near McCormick Place and areas closer to the South Loop.
In July, a Chicago Crusader story reported on the construction of 14 row homes on the former site of the historic Griffin Funeral Home. In May, Olivet Baptist Church at Martin Luther King Drive and 31st Street unveiled plans for a 366-unit residential building adjacent to its historic structure.
Griffin said Metropolis Pointe will include affordable rental units for firefighters, postal workers, and other civil servants. He said the percentage of units set aside and the specific income levels to be served are still being finalized.
Griffin said he hopes to receive city approvals in 2026 and begin development in mid-2027.