Work to start on McHugh’s 466-room McCormick Place hotel

A long-discussed plan to bring even more hotel rooms to Chicago’s newly-branded ”McCormick Square” entertainment district near the McCormick Place convention center is finally ready to put shovels in the ground. First publicly revealed back in 2014, the project comes from architect Antunovich Associates and McHugh (who will serve as both owner/developer and general contractor). Now expected to rise 22 stories and feature 466 guest rooms, the 2.5-acre vacant parcel received its first building permit from the City of Chicago yesterday.

Antunovich Associates/McHugh

Located at 123 E. Cermak, the yet-to-be-named development will feature a trio of hotels rumored to be a Hampton Inn, Home2 Suites, and Hilton Garden Inn. Plans also call for a sizable retail component including a two-story structure occupying the site’s western portion. Apparently reliant solely on public transportation, taxis, and existing nearby garages, the project will have no parking of its own.

The McHugh project joins a number of adjacent developments already in progress such as the towering 1,206-room Marriott Marquis hotel and the Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed Wintrust Arena. According to the newly issued permit, the construction cost for 123 E. Cermak is estimated to be $80 million.

• Building permit [Chicago Cityscape]
• McHugh Reveals Motor Row Hotel Plan at Public Meeting [Curbed Chicago]