Commune Hotels + Resorts will soon be debuting its newest hotel at the Chicago Athletic Association, located in the city’s Loop District.
The hotel group is restoring and converting the original Chicago Athletic Association. The two-year restoration will see the 100-year-old city landmark transformed into a 241-room luxury lifestyle hotel through a partnership between AJ Capital Partners, Geolo Capital, Agman Partners, Commune Hotels + Resorts, Chicago-based Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, and the Roman and Williams design firm.
“We look forward to achieving our vision of breathing new life into the building and reintroducing the powerful spirit of the Chicago Athletic Association to the next generation of Chicagoans and travelers alike,” says John Pritzker, chairman of Commune Hotels + Resorts and founding partner of Geolo Capital.
Architect Henry Ives Cobb originally designed the Venetian Gothic 250-foot tower in 1893 before being deemed a Chicago landmark. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture and Roman and Williams collaborated on the hotel’s restoration, preserving the building’s late 19th century architectural details yet imbuing it with a contemporary atmosphere. Colossal fireplaces with bas-relief woodcarvings, original stained-glass windows, and marble staircases characterize the interior.
The hotel will feature 17,000 square feet of event space, an interactive game room, and curated retail space. Multiple restaurants will be open onsite, including a rooftop bar with views of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park; restaurant concepts by Chicago-based Land & Sea Dept.; and a Shake Shack by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality.
The hotel is slated to open this spring.
