The TAO Group has announced that it will expand into Chicago’s River North neighborhood this September with the opening of TAO Chicago. Launched in partnership with Four Corners and designed by longtime collaborator New York-based Rockwell Group, the restaurant and adjoining nightclub will be housed within a landmarked Romanesque Revival building originally designed by Henry Ives Cobb in 1892.
The 34,000-square-foot granite structure will be outfitted with multiple levels, preserving the existing façade while also incorporating original details in the redesign like brick walls, arch floor-to-ceiling windows, and special geometry. While reflecting the aesthetic of existing TAO locations, the 300-seat restaurant will feature murals from artist Hush as well as TAO’s signature 16-foot-tall Quan Yin statue.
Guests arrive at the 7,000-square-foot TAO Nightclub via a massive, century-old Chinese gate and a lantern-lit exterior alley. Home to two nightclubs separated via an operable wall, the space features 40-foot-tall ceilings as well as original soaring windows. In addition to a 20-foot-tall Hush mural, the nightclub interior will be punctuated with a custom, 10-foot-tall Japanese bell from which an oversized disco ball will descend. A series of restored arches will span the TAO club as well end-to-end.
