CHICAGO—The recent and final closure of the futures trading pits at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were another reminder that the way the city's exchanges operate has been transformed, and the real estate meant to support such activity has changed as well. As reported in GlobeSt.com, GlenStar Properties, LLC recently took over the Chicago Board of Trade Building and began renovating the historic structure to make it attractive to a more diverse set of tenants. And company officials say they have just started construction on a new rooftop terrace on the 23^rd floor, the final stage of this renovation.

“This is the last piece of the puzzle,” Christian Domin, managing director of GlenStar, tells GlobeSt.com. The company has already added a new fitness center, renovated the lobby, refreshed Ceres Café, the building's iconic restaurant, and brought in a set of new retailers, among many other changes. But “the most complicated was the rooftop deck.”

The architects and builders who created the CBoT Building never imagined anything like a rooftop deck, he explains, and significant changes to the infrastructure were needed to allow tenants access to the roof as well as resolve a lot of code issues. But the new amenity should be ready to go by the fourth quarter of this year.

“Outdoor space is an amenity that's on every company's checklist today,” Domin adds. The 4,300 square-foot deck will be located on east side of the south building and users will enjoy panoramic views to the north and south along with views of Lake Michigan. It will accommodate up to 150 guests and feature a 20' illuminated water wall with bubblers, a 10' illuminated planter with bubbler, Cozumel sofas and sectionals, leather benches and wood deck tiling.

The patio's full bar set up will be complete with hand sink, refrigerator, keg dispenser, tub sink and ice machine. Large outdoor flat screen HD TVs will be located throughout while patio heaters will allow for year-round use. “Obviously we have some harsh weather in the winter,” he says, “but our goal was to make the deck enjoyable for as many months as possible.”

When GlenStar took over the building several years ago it was only 61% leased. The leasing rate has hit 74% and Domin says it's still climbing. The company is negotiating with a few prospective tenants looking for around 20,000 square feet, and “we should be close to 80% this year.”

He adds that although the rooftop deck is the final piece in the original plan for the building, GlenStar has an open mind when it comes to making additional changes. “Things are evolving so quickly in the office market; it's not as if we're going to stop evolving and responding to the marketplace.”