Chicago, your packages are about to delivered get a whole lot faster.
Amazon has scooped up the five-level vertical warehouse at 1237 W. Division St., right by Goose Island, for $195 million. The goal is to get packages to your doorstep the same day you order it.
So if you’re rush-ordering toilet paper at 11 p.m. because you realized, mid-crisis, that you’re out, your emergency is about to be fixed more quickly than ever. And thank goodness for that.
If you’ve driven down the Kennedy lately, you’ve probably seen it. The massive 1.2 million-square-foot project is Chicago’s first modern multistory warehouse, a concept borrowed from crowded Asian cities where land is scarce.
The idea is catching on in the U.S., with vertical warehouses already in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York. And now, Chicago.
So, instead of sprawling across acres of suburban land, the warehouse simply stacks. Delivery vans spiral up a giant ramp to reach each floor. It’s sort of like a parking garage but for packages.
The building was finished in late 2024 and has sat empty ever since. Nearly two years of nothing. Now it finally has a tenant, and it’s the biggest one possible.
Why put the Amazon warehouse in Goose Island?
Location, location, location. The site sits about a minute from I-90/94 and roughly five minutes from the Loop. That puts some of the city’s densest neighborhoods, like Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, West Town and River North, squarely in its delivery zone.
It’s also a bit of a homecoming. Amazon opened its first Chicago warehouse on nearby Cherry Avenue nearly a decade ago and shut it down in 2024. Now it’s back. And this time it’s going vertical.
New Amazon warehouse jobs for Chicagoans
The other big win is jobs. A facility this size doesn’t run itself, and Amazon’s move is expected to bring 600 to 800 new positions to the city, from warehouse associates and delivery drivers to logistics and operations roles. If you’ve been looking for work close to home, keep an eye on this one.
We’ll keep you posted on hiring and on when the operation officially gets rolling.
In the meantime, go ahead and add that 48-pack of Charmin to your cart. Your future self will thank you.
