Data Center Evaluation 400 S. LaSalle

Level-1 Global Solutions conducted a full technical readiness assessment to help transform 400 S. LaSalle, formerly the Cboe headquarters into a 50 MW multi-tenant Tier-class data center at the heart of Chicago’s financial district.

Once the headquarters of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe), the 6-story, 385,000-square-foot property at 400 S. LaSalle (425 S. Financial Place) is being repositioned as one of the Loop’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects. Acquired for approximately $12 million by a joint venture of Prime Group, led by Michael W. Reschke, and Capri Investment Group, the site is slated for conversion into a 50 MW multi-tenant data center. Its success is tied directly to ComEd’s new 333 S. LaSalle substation and the site’s proximity to the metro’s existing carrier hotels and fiber routes. 

Originally built for trading floors and financial market operations, the building’s structural capacity, ceiling heights, and loading potential make it inherently suited for high-density white space. Following Cboe’s relocation to the Old Post Office in 2019, the property became available for redevelopment at a moment when demand for urban edge data centers, AI workloads, and hyperscale cloud infrastructure continues to accelerate. 

Level-1 Global Solutions was engaged to define the requirements and readiness path needed to reposition 400 S. LaSalle into a Tier-class data center capable of serving financial institutions, hyperscale operators, and HPC tenants. Our work encompassed detailed site surveys, power and cooling strategies, telecom assessments, and compliance frameworks, all essential to charting a viable roadmap for development or sale. 

What We Delivered 

• Comprehensive readiness assessment report with Tier level, density, and SLA requirements 
• Site due diligence including structural, code, fire/life safety, and zoning evaluations 
• Electrical design coordination with ComEd, including MV distribution, UPS, and generator systems 
• Mechanical strategies for cooling, containment, and high-performance compute readiness 
• Telecom planning for fiber routes, points of entry, and meet-me rooms 
• Security design for physical access control, surveillance, and fire suppression systems 
• Compliance benchmarking to SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA, and PCI standards 
• Phased development plan including swing-space, logistics, and commissioning requirements 
• CAPEX and schedule analysis with recommendations for operate-vs-sell disposition 

By leveraging its strategic location near ComEd’s newest downtown substation and its adjacency to established fiber and connectivity hubs, 400 S. LaSalle is positioned to become a cornerstone of Chicago’s digital backbone. Through technical due diligence and a comprehensive basis-of-design package, Level-1 provided Prime and Capri with the framework to advance a 50 MW data center that can either anchor operations for future tenants or realize significant market value through sale.