Echo Global Logistics takes over Chicago's old Groupon, Montgomery Ward building
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The massive Near North Side complex that used to serve as the headquarters for Groupon is now under another local company's name.
Echo Global Logistics announced in a news release that it is expanding its presence at 600 W. Chicago Ave. The transportation and supply chain management firm's signs have already been mounted on the corners of the building.
"In 2005, Echo started in a single conference room in this building," Doug Waggoner, chief executive officer at Echo, said in a news release. "Today, we have 30 locations nationwide and thousands of employees. As one of Chicago's largest tech employers, it's fitting that our team works hard in a building with the Echo logo on it, visible for the entire city to see."
Echo occupies 185,000 square feet of the building, which can provide a workspace for up to 1,250 employees.
The 1.25 million-square-foot building, located on the North Branch of the Chicago River along the western edge of the old Cabrini-Green neighborhood, was first constructed as the Montgomery Ward Catalog House.
The building originally had docks along the river, and an interior shipping platform that accommodated two dozen freight train cars accessed off a spur line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, according to the Society of Architectural Historians. It was designed by architects Schmidt, Garden, and Martin and was erected in 1907 and 1908 – with expansions in 1917, 1940, and 1970, according to the society.
After Montgomery Ward went bankrupt, the building was converted to retail and office space. It was purchased by developer Sterling Bay in 2018, according to published reports.
Groupon has moved to Leo Burnett building, at 35 W. Wacker Dr.
