Tag Archives: First Hospitality

With all three Hiltons topped out, the tower crane comes down at 123 East Cermak

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Triple-branded Hilton tower crane removal

A tower crane below the roof line is doomed. Such is the circle of life at the triple-branded Hilton Hotels at McCormick Place.

All by its lonesome, McHugh Construction’s shiny yellow Liebherr tower crane built a Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center in the Prairie District of the South Loop. And now, that crane’s work is complete, and it’s on the way to the ground.

We walked around the site at 123 East Cermak Road to pay our last respects as the crane started coming down. But fear not; Chicago’s construction boom has slowed just yet, so expect that same crane to be back on the build again very soon.

Triple-Branded Hilton McCormick Place missed milestones: Topping out, glassing up

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Triple branded Hilton McCormick Place

McHugh Constructions Hilton, Hilton & Hilton has grown to 22 stories at 123 East Cermak Road.

It’s been longer than I realized since we’ve walked around the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotels that McHugh Construction and UJAMAA is building at McCormick Place. Not only are there seven floors all glassed in, but the tower appears to have reached the 22nd floor. And it looks topped out. The permit called for 22 stories, but other specifications show 21 and 23 floors. Guess what? If this is a future 22-story hotel, and construction has indeed reached the 22nd floor, then by golly, she’s topped out.

Triple branded Hilton Hotels

Expect a skybridge to shoot out of here soon.

One thing not added is the skybridge over Indiana Avenue that will connect the hotel to McCormick Place, but you can see where it will attach on the south corner of the east elevation.

Antunovich Associates designed the 466-room hotel, situated on Cermak between Michigan and Indiana Avenues. It is expected to open late in 2018.

Construction Update: The Three Hiltons at McCormick Place

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Triple-Brand Hilton

Hilton’s first Triple-Brand Hotel begins to rise at 123 East Cermak Road in the South Loop.

There are three Hilton hotels being built into one structure down at 123 East Cermak Road in the Prairie District “sub neighborhood” of the South Loop. That’s really all you need to know, but for the sake of word count, they are the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

Developers First Hospitality Group and Hilton are banking on McCormick Place visitors appreciating having lodging options to choose from, hence the optimal location between the convention campus and the revitalized Motor Row.

A couple sunny days, including Tuesday’s unlocked doors at the McCormick Place rooftop garden, provided perfect conditions to catch up on McHugh Construction’s progress on Antunovich Associates’ design.

 

 

 

Hilton, Hilton, and Hilton progress at McCormick Place

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Hilton McCormick Place

This new tower crane at the three Hiltons at McCormick Place has to build 3 hotels.

The Prairie District’s newest tower crane is showing the fruits of its labor, as work moves past foundation stage and begins to progress upward at (ready for this?) the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

Those three entities from Hilton, designed by Antunovich Associates, will be contained within this one 23-story, 466-room tower. McHugh Construction is the general contractor, and they’ve achieved the third dimension as the tower starts to stick up out of the ground.

It’s Craning Day at the Triple Hilton McCormick Place

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Hilton McCormick Place tower crane

Thursday morning, this tower crane cab rolled past the B.U.C. HQ. On its way to the Hilton McCormick Place? Sure seemed like it.

Last week, we found the makings of a tower crane at the Triple-Branded Hilton Hotel at McCormick Place. That always means to be on high alert for assembly. Now, I can’t prove the crane parts I watched being driven down the Kennedy to the Dan Ryan this week were headed to McHugh Construction’s site, but it sure added up. A peek out the window Thursday morning confirmed that the crane was being set up down in the Prairie District. And field trip ensued, resulting in the following photos. Best guess is, assembly will be completed Friday.

Hilton McCormick Place tower crane

Way off in the distance, tower crane set-up has been spotted. Time to head to the South Loop.

Caisson work almost complete for three-headed Hilton monster at McCormick Place

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Hilton McCormick Place

Caisson work is wrapping up at the triple-brand Hilton hotel project at McCormick Place.

If you think it’s tough work building a hotel, try building three of them. At once.

That’s what First Hospitality Group and Hilton are doing. You may remember this started out as McHugh Construction’s baby, as they owned the lot, until the developers signed on to triple-brand the project. Under just one roof will be a Hilton Garden Inn, a Hampton Inn by Hilton, and a Home2 Suites by Hilton. Seems like a lot to say? It is. But remember, you’ll only need to book a room at one of the three. Unless you really like having options when you sleep. According to the press release from Hilton linked above, the three hotels will be officially named the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Center, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Center.

The 23-story hotel(s), designed by Antunovich Associates, will provide 466 rooms and suites at 123 East Cermak Road. A skybridge will connect the new building to McCormick Place. There promises to be a whole host of amenities and dining options, which, again, you can read about straight from the Hilton’s mouth here.

The permit to build was filed by the City of Chicago back in December. Foundation work began in earnest almost immediately, and now caisson work is just about finished. A tower crane permit was flied last week, on the 9th, so look for that to appear in the Prairie District skies very soon. McHugh Construction is, of course, the general contractor.

McHughtel construction gets underway in the South Loop

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123 East Cermak Road McHughtel

Caisson equipment as far as the eye can see.

McHugh Construction crews are rolling rebar cages and digging holes and trenches at the site of McHugh’s new hotel project at 111-123 East Cermak Road in the Prairie District, and that means construction is underway.

The 23-story, 466-room hotel is a design by Antunovich Associates. The City of Chicago  filed the building permit back on December 19, and the lot has been filling up with materials ever since. Now, holes are being dug, the aforementioned rebar is being twisted, and caisson equipment is stacked and ready to be sunk into the earth. McHugh, of course, is the general contractor.

A permit makes it official: Motor Row is getting a new hotel

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123 East Cermak

Fresh off the presses, Monday’s permit for 22 stories and 466 units at 123 East Cermak Road.

Last week, a permit to prep the lot at 123 East Cermak Road was filed by the City of Chicago, and it appeared at the time there would be a new hotel coming to the north end of Motor Row. Now it’s official.

A permit was filed Monday, allowing for:

466 UNITS, 22 STORIES, MIXED USE-HOTELS, ASSEMBLY AND MERCANTILE, NO PARKING

As mentioned last week, McHugh Construction owns the lot, and they’ll serve as their own general contractor. Antunovich Associates handled design duties.

Now that construction can begin, it’s time to crowd-source a name. The Hughtel?

overhead

New hotel coming to Motor Row?

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111-123 East Cermak

Looks like it’s finally time to move some soil at 123 East Cermak.

Yesterday, a permit was filed by the City of Chicago for “SITE PREPARATION WITH SOIL RELOCATION AND RE-GRADING” at 123 East Cermak Road. That’s a lot owned by McHugh Construction, and a site where Antunovich Associates has helped design a mixed-use development along East Cermak between Michigan and Indiana Avenues.

A couple years ago, those plans included a hotel, data center, and retail space, all to be located within a block of the new Wintrust Arena. Which of these plans are becoming reality? Could it be all of them?

111-123 East Cermak

The small empty lot in the background is 123 East Cermak, with 111 up front.

111-123 East Cermak