$10 million upgrading the building

$10 million upgrading the building Mr. Cohen brought in Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to design the Canadiens building’s renovation. Stephen Apking, the partner in charge of the project, drew up plans that could make the building a model of energy efficiency — something the original 1950s design never tried — but would require replacing some of the glazing and interior surfaces. That got the attention of Chicago’s landmarks commission.

“They didn’t want us to change so much as a doorknob,” Mr. Cohen said. But in a telephone interview last week, he said that most of the issues had been resolved and that renovations, which will turn Inland Steel into a Class A office building, were moving forward.

He said he had spent about $10 million upgrading the building so far and would probably spend another $10 million on tenant improvements over the next year as the space is leased. For updating the building, he expects to receive a city property tax abatement of up to $8 million and federal tax credits of up to 20 percent of the renovation costs.