Chicago's New Apple Store Opens On Riverfront

CHICAGO, IL -- Apple is opening its new store on Chicago's riverfront Friday, complete with cutting-edge architecture and new access to the river from Pioneer Court. Staffed by 250 employees, the store is replacing the former Apple store on Michigan Avenue, which closed Wednesday night. Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, said the company worked closely with the city and referenced historical records to design the store.

“Apple Michigan Avenue is about removing boundaries between inside and outside, reviving important urban connections within the city,” Ive said in a statement. “It unites a historic city plaza that had been cut off from the water, giving Chicago a dynamic new arena that flows effortlessly down to the river.”

To celebrate its opening, the store will host “The Chicago Series,” a month-long set of events designed to help people pursue their passions, from photography and music to coding and app design.

"We are back in Chicago opening the first in a new generation of Apple’s most significant worldwide retail locations,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.

Watch: Chicago's New Apple Store Opens On Riverfront

"Every design feature serves to minimize the boundary between the city and the Chicago River. Even the building’s 111-by-98 foot carbon-fiber roof was designed to be as thin as possible, and the entire structure is supported by four interior pillars that allow the 32-foot glass facades to remain unobscured," the company said in a statement on its website.

The old Michigan Avenue Apple store had more than 23 million visitors since opening in 2003, the company said. Apple now has 1,300 employees across its nine Chicago stores.

Images courtesy of Apple Newsroom