Compass has begun development work of a new data center campus in Chicago, Illinois.

The company this month announced it had begun work on a new data center campus in the Hoffman Estates area of Chicago.

The new campus in Cook County will see five buildings developed, with a total planned investment of $10 billion.

Compass acquired the near-200-acre site at 3333 Beverly Road last September. It was previously the HQ of department store chain Sears.

The site is being readied for structural demolition which will commence this summer, with construction slated to kick off next year. Concrete, stone blocks, and asphalt from the existing site will be repurposed as fill to make the site even and as aggregate in concrete production.

“We are very pleased to welcome Compass Datacenters to Hoffman Estates. The redevelopment of the former Sears headquarters into a data center campus begins a new chapter for this high-profile property and continues the technology diversification of our tax base,” said Mayor William McLeod of the Village of Hoffman Estates. “Although still preliminary, the investment by Compass will be in the billions of dollars and will have positive effects for our community for years to come.”

Sears first moved into the headquarters in 1992, with around 5,000 employees based in the office. Sears ultimately went bankrupt in 2018 and sold its assets to Transformco, which later put up the Hoffman Estates site for sale in 2021.

Since closing on the site, Compass said business and nonprofit groups have had access to the seven-building campus to repurpose equipment, furniture, and other supplies. First responders have used the buildings for training.

“At Compass, we go slow before we go fast,” said Compass CEO Chris Crosby. “We’re taking a methodical approach to demolition and doing all we can to minimize waste. It will take over a year to complete this work, setting the stage for Compass to do what it does best – building sustainably and building to last.”

Compass either operates or is developing around 16 data center sites across the US, Europe, and Israel. The company is currently planning an 11.55 million sq ft campus in Prince William County, Virginia, and was acquired by Brookfield and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan in June 2023 for ~$5.5bn.