601W Companies signs Kemper Corporation for new headquarters lease at Aon Center

Kemper Corporation is leaving its namesake tower at 1 East Wacker Drive for new headquarters at the Aon Center at 200 East Randolph Street.

The insurance holding company’s footprint in its new space will come to nearly 65,000 square feet on the building’s 32nd and 33rd floors, according to a press release.

601W Companies has owned the 83-story building since 2015, when Piedmont Office Realty Trust sold it for $712 million. The owners recently invested $25 million in a renovation of the building that includes a new amenity space on the 70th floor.

Telos Group’s Matt Pistorio, Caroline Colnon and Steve Smith represented 601W Companies in lease negotiations.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Scott Goldman, Chris Wood, Dan Fisk and Adam McCostlin worked out terms on behalf of Kemper.

Asking rent on the deal was $25 per net square foot, according to Telos Group.

A representative of 601W Companies declined comment on the deal.

601W Companies is also redeveloping Chicago’s Old Main Post Office into 2.5 million square feet of Class A office space. That property is among those the city and state have included in their bid for Amazon’s second headquarters.

The Aon Center is currently Chicago’s third-tallest, and it sits across Randolph Street from Millennium Park, one of the city’s top tourist destinations.

There has recently been buzz about a possible glass-walled elevator that could be affixed to the outside of the building and would lead to an observation deck and entertainment area on the top two floors.