Relativity, a maker of software for the legal industry, unveiled its renovated office in the Loop with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, about a year after it announced plans to makeover the space.
The 100,000-square-foot headquarters spans two floors and features a golf simulator, juice bar and private terrace. Its home at the 1924 neoclassical Central Standard Building, 231 S. LaSalle St., sits across from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago at the main intersection of the city’s financial district.
Relativity said it explored different office spaces but decided to stay at 231 S. LaSalle.
“The building is one of Chicago’s recognizable architectural icons, and its rich history in a connected neighborhood, along with modern office amenities, played a role in Relativity’s decision to reinvest in this location,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Its renovated office has stadium-style benches and communal seating; a video wall to broadcast companywide meetings; a library; an arcade with a sports simulator and a juice bar “that captures the essence of a lush orange grove,” according to a news release.
Relativity moved into the Central Standard Building in 2011 and previously occupied four floors, spanning 195,000 square feet. It announced plans to stay in the building and renovate its office in August 2023.
Renovating a smaller space is part of a “new world of work and an increasingly distributed workforce” that supports Relativity’s hybrid work model, said the company. It hired Chicago-based general contractor Skender and architecture firm Partners by Design.
While weekend pedestrian traffic in the Loop is rebounding, the area is still trying to recover in the aftermath of the pandemic as more office employees work remotely. Across the U.S., employers have tried luring workers back to the office with food, social events and other perks.
Office and retail vacancies in the Loop are high, as is the case for many central business districts in the U.S. after the pandemic. Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate was 22% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to 21% in the first quarter, according to a report from Bradford Allen.
Relativity, founded in Chicago in 2001 as kCura, makes software to manage electronic data during legal proceedings and investigations, particularly for law firms, corporations and government agencies like the U.S. Department of Justice. The company has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries. It also has offices in New Jersey, London, Kraków and Sydney.
Relativity has expanded from more than 500 employees in 2014 to more than 1,500, with about 650 in the Chicago area. The company is hiring for nearly 60 jobs with about one-third listed in Illinois.