Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Jumps Ship In Fulton Market

The new Chan Zuckerberg Biohub is already on the move in Fulton Market, upping its office footprint and ditching another lease it signed just several months ago.

The bioresearch hub, led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, will occupy over 28,000 square feet in Trammell Crow Company’s 423,000-square-foot building at 400 North Aberdeen Street, Crain’s reported.

In March, CZ Biohub leased almost 26,000 square feet in the 300,000-square-foot lab building at 1375 West Fulton Street, also owned by Trammell Crow. The organization has made a $250 million commitment to research in Chicago, with the goal of attracting top-tier scientists and solving major health challenges.

“We’re going to build out a facility from scratch,” Shana Kelley, president of the Biohub, told the outlet. “We’ll have a clean room specialized for our purposes. We also want to have space to grow and to host visitors.”

Portal Innovations, a venture capital firm that invests in life science firms, will lease 6,000 square feet on the same floor as Chan Zuckerburg, continuing their collaboration. Portal Innovations will provide lab space and other services for about three dozen life sciences startups in Chicago. Portal already occupies space in both Trammell Crow buildings, and its existing footprint at 400 North Aberdeen will be connected to its new digs on the floor below.

Trammell Crow is poised to capitalize on Chicago’s thriving life sciences scene. The Dallas-based firm and Beacon Capital Partners are developing Hyde Park Labs, a $225 million, 300,000-square-foot structure near the intersection of 52nd Street and Harper Avenue. The site will feature nine floors of labs, a roof terrace and 40,000 square feet of amenities.

—Quinn Donoghue