Evanston, Illinois-based DMAC Architecture is transforming Chicago’s Midtown Athletic Club into a lifestyle destination. When the expansion opens in July, the club will be home to one of the largest indoor tennis facilities, the boutique two-story Hotel at Midtown, as well as a retail complex, making it the largest health and fitness property in the U.S.
The 575,000-square-foot hotel and club is reimagined with new elements punctuating each floor. The 55-room hotel occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the complex, housing four suites with panoramic skyline views. The hotel appears as a floating volume with its glass façade, while the interior boasts light stone, sleek wood, and soft fabric furnishings.
The ground floor accommodates the Uber lounge and a 100-foot-long pool designed with Brazilian walnut walls, board-formed concrete ceilings, waterfalls, and a hydrotherapy pool. The 15-court tennis lounge draws upon neighborhood heritage in its design from Venus Williams’ Jupiter, Florida-based studio V Starr Interiors. V Starr also crafted the V suite, one of the hotel’s signature accommodations.
Outfitted with numerous fireplaces, the second floor hosts an indoor-outdoor café and a contemporary fitness space set against the backdrop of Chicago. Fitness areas maintain a visual connection to the onsite terrace, while the property’s restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor dining. The yoga and Pilates studios are crafted with upholstered walls, comfortable benches, and end-grain mesquite floors. The outdoor pooldeck, punctuated with a garden and cenote-like whirlpool, doubles as an ice rink in the winter. A 40-foot-long turf field on the third floor has also been created.
