After years of sitting dark along the I-90 corridor, Bell Works Chicagoland hit a fresh milestone Monday as developers, village officials, and tenants gathered to mark the latest chapter in remaking the vacant Ameritech Center into a 1.65 million square foot “metroburb” in Hoffman Estates. The multi-phase project is shifting from early activation into a larger buildout that will stack new offices, retail, and housing around an indoor “main street.” Local leaders and nearby residents say the campus is already pulling in visitors and businesses after a long stretch of vacancy.
FOX 32 Chicago’s ChicagoLIVE devoted a segment on Monday to the transformation, featuring Ralph Zucker, president and CEO of Inspired by Somerset Development, who walked through the vision and next construction push for the campus. The piece spotlighted the mix of dining, events, and office amenities that developers say are turning the onetime corporate fortress into a suburban downtown-in-one-building. Watch the full segment on FOX 32 Chicago.
The Bell Works site is the former AT&T Ameritech Center and, according to the development’s own materials, sits on roughly 150 acres and about 1.65 million square feet. Its vast atrium has been reconfigured into a quarter-mile indoor “Main Street” lined with shops, food options, and community space. The developer describes the blend of coworking, “Ready-to-Wear” suites, and public programming as an attempt to recreate downtown-style density in a suburban setting. The full pitch is laid out on Bell Works Chicagoland.
West-side expansion and timeline
Construction on the west side of the property officially kicked off in late June 2025, unveiling plans for roughly 430,000 square feet of new office space, about 35,000 square feet of furnished “Ready-to-Wear” suites, and roughly 70,000 square feet of retail. The work calls for demolishing an internal overpass to bring more natural light into the building and adding features such as a turf element, rooftop bar, and a central lobby. Portions of that buildout are expected to be ready by late 2026, according to Daily Herald coverage. Zucker has framed the groundbreaking as “a defining moment” for proving the metroburb model can reshape suburban landscapes…