“One of the more unique takes on the POV trend on TikTok: ‘POV: You bought a 100-year-old skyscraper . . . ‘

“For those unlikely to ever own a skyscraper themselves, TikTok’s Skyscraper Guy offers a behind-the-scenes look at what that experience entails—think hidden rooms not listed on blueprints, a bottomless pit in the basement, a Prohibition-era speakeasy, and a mysterious safe with no known combination.

“The video, posted last week, has already racked up more than 2.4 million views. ‘Step 1. How does one acquire a skyscraper,’ one commenter asked. ‘My idea of an impulse buy is a cupcake,’ another added.

“Sleuths in the comments quickly identified the skyscraper as the Pittsfield Building in downtown Chicago. Located at 55 E. Washington Street, the 38-story tower, designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, was the city’s tallest building when it was completed in 1927; it was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2002.

“The Skyscraper Guy, also known as real estate investor Tom Liravongsa, purchased 30 of the building’s 40 floors and has announced plans to convert most of the space into residential units, Crain’s reported. Liravongsa is founder and CEO of L’Cre Global, a Grand Rapids, Michigan, boutique specializing in real estate and other alternative investments.

“‘The skyscrapers we are purchasing are mostly around a century old. The history and craftsmanship behind these buildings feel like opening a lost time capsule. We knew we had to share it with the world and the response has been unbelievable,’ Liravongsa tells Fast Company. ‘In just the first five days, we’re incredibly grateful for the 30 million viewers and 250,000 followers who have joined us at the start of our journey.’

“On TikTok, as renovations begin, Liravongsa’s spotlighting the building’s original features, including a hand-carved copper ceiling, 100-year-old tobacco shop, and a bronze elevator dial, for his 50,000-strong following. ‘Owning a skyscraper is a full-time job,’ he says in another video, ‘but somebody’s gotta do it.’ ( Upton-Clark, Fast Company, 4/18/25)

“Liravongsa acquired 30 of the 40 floors in the vintage high-rise at 55 E. Washington St. through a foreclosure sale in April 2023. His company, L’Cre Global, is an investment boutique firm that focuses on “engaging ground-up development and undertaking large-scale repurposing projects within key metropolitan markets,” according to its website. Liravongsa didn’t immediately return a call today.

“The office-to-residential proposal follows other efforts to breathe new life into downtown Chicago’s underutilized workspace amid remote work trends and strong rental demand, including conversion plans at 65 E. Wacker Place, the Magnificent Mile, and on and near LaSalle Street. Part of the Pittsfield Building is residential already, with 177 apartments owned by Chicago-based Marc Realty that fill floors 13 through 21.

“While a fresh use of downtown office space makes sense, a revitalization of the Pittsfield Building has so far eluded investors, and any project now will take a major investment in a tight lending environment. Previous developers proposed a hotel and residential units for the space, but after challenges that included multiple lawsuits, a bankruptcy and aborted deals, the space suffered years of neglect while waiting to be redeveloped.

“The hybrid art deco and Gothic-style tower was the tallest building in the city when it opened in 1927. A Florida investor, the Morgan Reed Group, acquired the entire tower in 2000 and divided it up into two pieces. The firm sold off floors 13 through 21, retained the rest, then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2017. (Herzog, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/11/25)

Read the full story at Fast Company and Crain’s Chicago Business

• TikTok is obsessed with this investor who bought 30 floors of a Chicago skyscraper; Real estate investor Tom Liravongsa is documenting his ambitious renovation of a historic tower—floor by floor, Eve Upton-Clark, Fast Company, 4/18/25
• Investor pitches office-to-residential conversion for Pittsfield Building, Rachel Herzog, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/11/25
• Residential conversion planned for office space at Pittsfield Building; The 1920s-era skyscraper is already partially converted into apartments, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 3/13/25
• Did a city rezoning strip the Pittsfield Building of its value? A jury could decide, Rachel Herzog, Crain’s Chicago Business, 1/27/25
• Is the Pittsfield Building cursed? There’s no reason the historic Loop landmark couldn’t be another LondonHouse or Chicago Athletic Association hotel—well, except for a long string of bad breaks that now includes allegations that its Chinese-Canadian majority owner is guilty of running a financial scam, Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 8/3/2018
• Michigan investor takes over Pittsfield Building stake, but court battle drags on, Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 5/15/23
• Morgan Reed gets day in court over Pittsfield Building rezone; Miami-based developer claims city violated Constitution’s 5th Amendment in zoning out hotel uses, The Real Deal Staff, 1/28/25
• After years of neglect, a downtown landmark goes up for sale; A new owner of the Pittsfield Building could pull the 38-story tower out of its funk, ending a dysfunctional drama that included an international financial scandal and a bitter court battle, Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 6/15/22
• The long-stalled redo of this troubled Loop tower reaches a turning point. Trying to predict the future of the Pittsfield and another prominent property owned by the same investor—the huge Motorola campus in Harvard—has been next to impossible. But that could be about to change, Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 5/21/21
• The History of the Pittsfield Building in Chicago, Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D., Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal, 3/28/20
• Pittsfield Building Chicago Landmark Designation Report 12/12/2001