Fulton Market proposal trades extended stay hotel rooms for office space

A plan to build a 245-room extended stay hotel at the southwest corner of Lake and Halsted is ditching its hospitality concept in favor of office space. The project from Shapack Partners—the developer behind the nearby Soho House and the upcoming Hoxton hotel—and partner Focus Development would replace a parking lot previously owned by Heneghan Wrecking at 801 W. Lake. The pair previously teamed up on the 320-foot Parker Fulton Market apartment tower located just across the street.

The programmatic shift from hotel to office comes on the heels of the developers’ recent acquisition of an additional 50 foot by 120 foot parcel to the south, allowing the new development to expand its footprint by building over and above an existing alleyway. The added area provides a layout more conducive to office use.

Based on updated images presented at a November meeting hosted by Neighbors of the West Loop, the architectural design of the project has also evolved. The more modern facade of the hotel proposal has been dropped in favor of the ubiquitous neo-warehouse style that has firmly established itself as the neighborhood’s prevailing aesthetic of choice. Chicago-based firm GREC has been retained as 801 W. Lake’s design architect.

The development team is seeking zoning necessary to build a 240-foot building. While the project will contribute $2.5 million to Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, the site has always carried a DX-5 designation and is not part of the city’s recently expanded downtown zoning boundaries. The next step for the project is a trip before the Chicago Plan Commission at a future date yet to be determined.

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• 801 W. Lake – Second Presentation [Neighbors of the West Loop]
• 20-Story Extended-Stay Hotel Planned for Red-Hot Fulton Market [Curbed Chicago]
• Fulton Market archive [Curbed Chicago]