The new W Chicago – City Center is set to unveil the completed first phase of its renovation in the historic Financial District of the Windy City next month. Housed within a classic Beaux Arts structure from 1928, the contemporary hotel will introduce a new lobby and the Midland Social Club, courtesy of the Boston offices of Perkins+Will.
The redesign will pay homage to the Great Chicago Fire, welcoming visitors with charred wood walls, glowing sconces, and a suspended gold bucket in the lobby. An uplit infinity ceiling will also be installed to represent the city’s rapid growth above redesigned reception desks inspired by the iconic sculptures that populate Chicago’s West Loop and Millennium Park Pedestrian Bridge.
A two-story backbar installation will punctuate the arrival experience inside the Midland Social Club, which will also include a suspended, illuminated display Honoring Templeton Rye—a favorite of Chicago native Al Capone—in the form of a reimagined Chicago Municipal Device. On the second floor, the Plateau will overlook the spaces below including the loop-inspired shape on the bar. A glass DJ stand will be equipped with a movable partition wall that will double as a projection screen.
