After living in the downtown area and viewing hundreds of apartments, our team has compiled a list of the Top 10 Apartment Rooftop Pools in Chicago. All of these apartments are located in the downtown Chicago neighborhoods. Other factors considered were pool size, "niceness," affordability and views.
We will first say that this list is our opinion. You may have your own and if you disagree or think there are some apartments that need to be on this list, please don't hesitate to email us. We start the list with 10 and will count down to our number 1 rooftop pool in downtown Chicago.
The List
#10 Eugene Terrace: This building is older, but the location is fantastic as it is right on Lincoln Park. The pool is actually a rooftop pool located on the top of the building (whereas many other buildings have their pools on a lower level above the parking garage) with fantastic views of the Chicago skyline. This is a "$$" building and is quite affordable for what it has to offer.
#9 Optima: First and foremost, this is not technically a rooftop "pool", but rather a rooftop hot tub. We chose to include despite it being a hot tub because of the uniqueness of the location, the superb views looking right into the Loop. This is a "$$$" building so it is definitely nice and looks the part. There is another actual large indoor pool if you want to go for a swim.
#8 McClurg Court: Located in a great neighborhood right near the lake, McClurg Court is one of the best values on this list. It's a large building with a large outdoor area, but it's pool is actually indoors. However, given the significant size of the pool it is worthy to be put on this list.
#7 Aqua: One of the newer buildings on our list, Aqua also happens to be near the lake and has a large sized outdoor elevated terrace pool. Aqua is a "$$$" building and definitely looks the part and this is one of the reasons we have rated Aqua #7 on our list. Although views from the actual apartments in this building are fantastic, the views from the pool - although still great - are not as exciting as some of the other contenders on our list.
#6 AtWater: If you are looking for a building that has the feeling of being in the center of everything, this building is one of them. The rooftop pool is elevated with fantastic views of the skyline from Streeterville. The outdoor pool in this building is "medium" in size but there are two in door hot tubs which has earned AtWater a #6 for this list.
#5 The Grand Plaza: One of the grandest outdoor rooftop pools is at the Grand Plaza given its sheer size which is accompanied by lots of patio space. This building is also located in the prime River North area which results in very nice views and atmosphere.
#4 Marquee: This building is one of the newer additions to the luxury rental inventory in Chicago having been built in 2016. It is also located near the center of the Loop central business district which makes it quite unique. However, this is not the reason it is #4 on our list for rooftop pools. Marquee has one of the most impressive outdoor pool setups in the entire city. If you are a fan of modern architecture (and slick outdoor pools), this is your building. If this wasn't a "$$$$" building, it would likely be a little higher on our list.
#3 OneEleven: This is one of the most impressive buildings from a luxury, architecture, and outdoor pool beauty. The outdoor area - which includes the partially outdoor rooftop pool - faces the Chicago river which makes it the best view on our list. The pool is great also, but it is not higher on our list because of the high "$$$$" tag attached to it.
#2 The Gallery on Wells: The newest building on our list nearly has it all. Views, luxury, and location. Although affordable, it still is an "$$$" building, which makes it harder. That said, we believe this is a solid #2 on our list.
#1 Alta: This building has many great things going for it, but the biggest draw is its awesomely huge pool which is flanked by a decent sized outdoor hot tub. Did we mention this is located in one of the most convenient locations for city dwellers? It is. We believe the combination of an great location, awesome outdoor pool, and good value with the "$$" rating on price leads to the #1 ranking on our site.
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