Slot Machines for Bars in Magnificent Mile, Chicago

History

North Michigan Avenue replaced Pine Street, which the Encyclopedia of Chicago describes as lined with warehouses and factories near the river and with mansions and rowhouses as it ran through McCormickville and Streeterville. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago proposed the new avenue, and it was built in the 1920s. The City's landmark record says the Michigan Avenue Bridge, finished in 1920, and the esplanade and sculptures that followed provided a gateway to it.

Tribune Tower went up between 1922 and 1925 after a design competition the newspaper held in 1922. The Palmolive Building at 919 N. Michigan, finished in 1929, was the first commercial skyscraper built far from the Loop.

After the Depression and the war, development surged again in the late 1940s. Developer Arthur Rubloff, who named the avenue the Magnificent Mile, and a New York partner, William Zeckendorf, bought or took management control of much of the property while prices were still at Depression levels, then promoted it as the city's most prestigious address.

The area today

The Encyclopedia describes the avenue as running north from the Loop to Oak Street and the Drake Hotel. At Michigan and Chicago avenues, the Old Chicago Water Tower District holds a castellated Gothic Revival tower built to house a 138-foot standpipe, removed in 1911, plus a pumping station, a fire station and two small parks. From the Chicago Red Line stop, the CTA says to walk two blocks east to Michigan for buses 143, 146, 147, 148 and 151.

Block Club reported that Uniqlo opened a flagship at 600 N. Michigan in March 2026 and that Saks, open on Michigan since 1929, was set to close its store at 700 N. Michigan in May. In July a developer broke ground on turning the office building at 500 N. Michigan into 320 apartments, which its co-founder described as priced for hospital and medical research staff, graduate students and young professionals.

Bars and restaurants here

Block Club's 2026 rooftop guide lists several rooms. At 800 N. Michigan, a hotel rooftop seven floors above Michigan Avenue serves flatbreads, sushi and cocktails. At 646 N. Michigan, a coffee roastery has a seasonal fifth-floor terrace above four stories of bars, bakeries and cafes. On Superior Street, a hotel rooftop lounge features live music and city views. Block Club's July 2026 report says the Mag Mile has added interactive, experience-based retailers in the past two years, among them a Harry Potter shop and a magic theater. Its preview of the 35th Lights Festival parade describes about 40 floats and one million lights on more than 200 trees, with a route from Oak Street south to the river.