For more than 30 years, the top floors of the former John Hancock Center were home to the Signature Room, a restaurant and lounge that closed in September 2023. Now the 96th floor has its next chapter. On October 15, 360 CHICAGO announced ELEVAIRE CHICAGO, a private event venue that will begin accepting bookings in Q1 2027 and is expected to open in early 2028.
The venue is the first public piece of a larger plan that will take 360 CHICAGO from one floor to three.
ELEVAIRE CHICAGO will cover nearly 14,000 square feet on the 96th floor of 875 North Michigan Avenue, with Lake Michigan on one side and the Chicago skyline on the other. The spaces are designed to be configured around each event, from weddings and milestone celebrations to corporate meetings, networking receptions, and galas.
Food and beverage will be handled in-house rather than by a separate restaurant tenant, Managing Director Nichole Benolken told The Real Deal.
ELEVAIRE CHICAGO is part of a wider expansion of 360 CHICAGO into the 95th and 96th floors of the building. When it’s finished, 360 CHICAGO will span more than 50,000 square feet across three floors, creating what will be Chicago’s first multi-story observation deck.
A three-story grand staircase overlooking Lake Michigan will link the existing 94th-floor observation deck with the two new levels. The 95th floor will add visitor space and new programming, and is expected to include an extension of CloudBar. The 96th floor will run as a dedicated private event venue.
The design is being led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the firm that originally designed and engineered 875 North Michigan Avenue. SOM’s interior plan for the renovation is built to bring the building’s original architecture forward rather than cover it up.
Magnicity has operated the 94th-floor observation deck since 2012, adding TILT, Chicago’s highest thrill ride, and CloudBar along the way. The group acquired the 95th and 96th floors in 2024 and announced the expansion plans in 2025.
The project lands at a good moment for the Magnificent Mile. Local Alderman Brian Hopkins has described it as a positive story for the area as retail on the street picks back up, The Real Deal reports.
Bookings open in Q1 2027, with the venue expected to debut in early 2028. Capacity, room configurations, food and beverage options, and event packages will be shared before bookings open.
That timing is deliberate. Weddings, galas, and large corporate events are often planned a year or more out, and Chicago Planner Magazine flagged the venue for exactly that audience. Planners looking at 2028 dates can get in line now.
Chicago isn’t the only Magnicity site built across several levels. Highline Warsaw, which opened in October 2025, spans the top three floors of Varso Tower, the tallest building in the European Union. With ELEVAIRE CHICAGO, the group brings that multi-floor approach to 360 CHICAGO and adds a venue built for private events.
To be among the first to hear when bookings open, sign up for the waitlist at elevairechicago.com. Until then, the view from the 94th floor is open every day at 360 CHICAGO.