The Leo.

Project brief

The Leo is a 21-story mixed-use rental tower at 741 N. Wells Street in Chicago's River North neighborhood, just south of Chicago Avenue. Developed by Vista Property Group and designed by Antunovich Associates, it holds 168 apartments over ground-floor retail in about 201,000 square feet. The unit mix is 50 studios, 101 one-bedrooms and 17 two-bedrooms. The apartments occupy 17 floors above a two-story parking podium and a lobby level, where two retail spaces flank the entrance.

The glass-walled tower rises more than 250 feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows and dark metal trim. Its Wells Street facade is serrated so that apartments away from the corners still get corner views, and a V-shaped column feature marks the lobby. The project keeps a two-story masonry building directly to the north. Units have 9-foot ceilings. The top floor holds a pool deck with fire pits, a cafe and lounge, and coworking space. The podium contains 51 parking spaces, storage for 150 bikes and a dog run. Construction began in August 2022, and the building was delivered in January 2024.

BOGZA produced exterior and interior renderings and a film for The Leo in 2022. The visuals show the glass tower with its slim frame rising from a brick base against the downtown skyline. They include a daytime view of the tower from the street.