It was developed by Jerrold Wexler, who saw the legally protected lakefront as an ideal location for high income young office workers without children.

Mayor Richard J. Daley, worried about a tendency of upscale Chicagoans to move to the suburbs, supported the project and told the planning department to make it work.

The lakeshore was legally protected, but the city secured the needed legislation and resolved disputes with the Illinois Central Railroad, which originally owned the property.

It was completed in 1962, as one of the largest apartment buildings in the world outside of New York City, with over 900 one-and two-bedroom units.

It offered indoor parking, a pool and exercise facilities, a restaurant and a small grocery store.