Sue Data Centers

Data Center Registry

Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk)

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois · All 2 Menlo Digital sites

OperatingNo reception on recordRecord updated September 25, 2026

Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) is an operating data center in Chicago, Illinois (Cook County), operated by Menlo Digital (Menlo Equities). The public record puts it at 8 MW operating.

Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.

Facility record

Operating

Operator
Menlo Digital (Menlo Equities)
Facility type
Data center
Location
601 W Polk Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL
Coordinates
41.8716, -87.6431
Power capacity
8 MW operating
Land
Not established from a public source
Investment
Not established from a public source
Announced
Not established from a public source
Utility
Not established from a public source
Cooling
Not established from a public source
Water use
Not established from a public source
Jobs
Not established from a public source
Public subsidy
Not established from a public source
Community reception
No reception on record
Source confidence
Reported by at least one credible outlet or filing

Timeline from the record

Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.

  1. August 12, 2026
    Operating
    Listed as an open, operating Chicago data center; owner's property page describes an active 104,000 sq ft data center with 8 MW installed capacity. Source: Menlo Equities

Opposition and litigation at this site

Nothing on record as of September 25, 2026. No lawsuit, organized opposition, or contested hearing over Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois appears in the sources this registry tracks. That is an absence in our sources rather than a finding that none exists, and local opposition often predates any coverage a national dataset would pick up.

If you live near this site and something is happening that this page does not show, that is worth telling us. Send us the document and it goes in the record with the source attached. For sites where opposition is already established, see every contested site we track.

A new status, a permit, a reception finding, or a lawsuit. Nothing else, ever.

Notes on the record

Converted brick warehouse; owner page cites one 2.5 MW utility-owned substation plus two 2.5 MW building-owned unit substations and 8 MW installed capacity. Menlo Equities is the owner; Block Club names Menlo Digital as the operating brand.

What the record does not establish, and the document that would

In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.

  • Cooling method and water use
  • Tax abatements or other public subsidy
  • Permanent jobs promised
  • Land area
  • How the community has received it
  • Which utility serves it
Which document closes each gap
Cooling method and water use
The water service agreement, any groundwater appropriation permit, and the mechanical narrative in the site plan.
Tax abatements or other public subsidy
The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
Permanent jobs promised
The economic development application or incentive agreement, which usually states a job commitment and a clawback.
Land area
The rezoning application, the plat, or the deed recorded with the county.
How the community has received it
Planning commission and governing body minutes, public comment records, and any petition or lawsuit filed in the county.
Which utility serves it
The electric service agreement or the utility's filing with the state public utility commission.

Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.

Our reporting on this site

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

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Questions people ask about this site

Is there opposition to the Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) data center in Chicago?

Nothing on record as of September 25, 2026. No lawsuit, organized opposition, or contested hearing over Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois appears in the sources this registry tracks. That is an absence in our sources rather than a finding that none exists, and local opposition often predates any coverage a national dataset would pick up.

Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) data center?

No lawsuit over Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) appears in the record we track as of September 25, 2026. Residents most often reach a lawyer over water supply, well drawdown, noise from cooling plant, property value, or a rezoning approved without the notice the ordinance required. If any of that is happening near this site, it is worth a review whether or not a case has been filed yet.

How much water does Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) use?

No water withdrawal figure for Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk) is on record here. Water use is rarely published voluntarily; it usually surfaces through a utility service agreement or a state withdrawal permit, both of which are public records. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.

Who operates Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk), and how big is it?

Menlo Digital (Menlo Equities) is the operator on record. We hold 2 sites for that company across the registry. Capacity on record is 8 MW.

How to cite this page

SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Menlo Digital Chicago Exchange (601 West Polk)," updated September 25, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/menlo-digital-chicago-exchange-il.

Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.34.0 (September 21, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/menlo-digital-chicago-exchange-il, retrieved October 1, 2026.

Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.

Sources for this record

As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.

  1. 1.601 West Polk Street, Chicago, property page (104,000 SF data center, 8 MW installed) · Menlo Equities · retrieved September 25, 2026
  2. 2.Block Club Chicago data center map, Menlo Digital Chicago, 601 W. Polk St., open · Block Club Chicago · retrieved September 25, 2026

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