Outdated office towers, private clubs, and industrial warehouses get second chances as guest rooms

While Chicago’s century-old office buildings may no longer meet the needs of today’s tenants, an unprecedented number of historic commercial structures have found a second life as hotel developments. In a city where historic architecture often survives so long as it turns a profit, the trend offers a win-win for Chicago’s tourism and hospitality industries as well as local preservationists.

Older buildings also present opportunities for striking design and unique experiences like a chance to ride the Robey’s restored 1920s style elevators, unwind in the Chicago Athletic Association’s old-school game room, or scope out downtown’s best architecture from the roof of LondonHouse.

Here’s a look at 12 outdated commercial buildings resurrected through redevelopment.

Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by noted Chicago architect Alfred S. Alschuler and completed in 1923, the 23-story London Guarantee & Accident Building stands at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. The former office building reopened in 2016 as the 452-room LondonHouse hotel. The $200 million project retains the property’s original gold-leaf ceilings and murals. The hotel’s roof terrace remains a popular spot during Chicago’s warmer months and it has a great view of significant architecture along the river.

A post shared by LondonHouse Chicago (@lhchicago) on Jul 30, 2019 at 7:02pm PDT

This 1893 Venetian-Gothic style building by architect Henry Ives Cobb housed the private Chicago Athletic Association club until 2007. A 2015 redevelopment transformed the Michigan Avenue structure into a boutique hotel with 241 guest rooms. Now, the Chicago Athletic Association preserves much of the historic club’s architectural details including an ornate wood-trimmed lobby and a plaster ballroom. A rooftop restaurant and bar offers stunning views of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.

A post shared by Chicago Athletic Association (@chicagoathletichotel) on Oct 7, 2019 at 8:58am PDT

Standing like an oversized champagne bottle topped by gold foil, the 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building is a true Chicago icon. Designed by the Burnham brothers, the Art Deco building shifted from office space into the Hard Rock Hotel in 2004, which predates most conversions on this list. In 2017, the Hard Rock shut down and the space was turned into the St. Jane Hotel—named for Chicago-based social activist Jane Addams.

A post shared by Architecture (@archpng) on Nov 29, 2019 at 1:42pm PST

Designed by Holabird & Root and built in 1928, the 15-story Chicago Motor Club sat vacant from 2004 until a 2015 renovation reimaged the Art Deco building as a Hampton Inn. The adaptive reuse project embraces the structure’s motoring past in the lobby with an old-school 1928 Ford Model A and a restored vintage mural featuring a map of the United States’ highway system.

A post shared by Hartshorne Plunkard (@hartshorne_plunkard) on Nov 13, 2018 at 1:21pm PST

This landmarked office tower at the corner of Lake and Wabash opened in 2015 as the Virgin Hotel following a three-year renovation. The Old Dearborn Bank Building was completed in 1928 by architecture firm Rapp & Rapp, which was known for designing some of Chicago’s best-known movie palaces. The historic exterior conceals a playful contemporary interior topped by an indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge.

A post shared by Virgin Hotels Chicago (@virginhotelschi) on Jan 27, 2019 at 7:45am PST

Built in the heart of the Loop’s financial district in 1894 by celebrated architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney, the 14-story New York Life Insurance Building outlived its life as an office. Thankfully, after a push by local preservationists to landmark the property, the historic tower turned into the 293-room Kimpton Gray Hotel in 2016. The redevelopment repaired exterior brick and terracotta details, replaced aging windows, and restored interior marble to its 19th-century glory.

A post shared by Rolando Cervantes (@rolandin) on Nov 2, 2019 at 3:27pm PDT

This 35-story LaSalle Street landmark was built between 1915 and 1925 by architecture firm Holabird & Roche. It is considered Chicago’s best example of Portuguese Gothic Revival. After decades of office use, the Roanoke Building was made into the world’s largest Marriott Residence Inn in 2015. The repositioned property includes 380 extended stay guest rooms and 7,500 square feet of meeting space.

A post shared by Heritage Consulting Group (@heritageconsulting) on Jan 27, 2017 at 11:41am PST

Completed in 1927 by architecture firm Rapp & Rapp, the 21-story tower above the Loop’s historic James M. Nederlander Theatre (formerly known as the Oriental Theatre) was converted from vacant office space to a Cambria Hotel in 2017. While the project made few alterations to the building’s historic facade, the interior was remade into 199 guest rooms served by contemporary amenities.

A post shared by Cambria Chicago Loop (@cambriachicagoloop) on Jan 16, 2019 at 1:14pm PST

Constructed in the late 19th by Architects Daniel Burnham, John Root, and Charles Atwood, the Loop’s Reliance Building features a steel frame with a white glazed terracotta exterior and was the first high-rise to incorporate large plate glass windows. In 1999, the building underwent a major restoration and opened as the 122-room Hotel Burnham. The hotel portion later sold and was rebranded as the Staypineapple.

A post shared by Luke Rzewnicki (@lukerzewnicki) on Sep 28, 2018 at 5:07am PDT

In Wicker Park, the 203-foot-tall former Northwest Tower (also known as the Coyote Building) has loomed over the intersection of Damen, Milwaukee, and North avenues since the 1920s. Despite its impressive stature, the offices fell into disrepair. That all changed in 2016 after the property reopened as the 69-room Robey hotel. The refurb restored many of the Art Deco touches designed by original architects Perkins, Chatten, and Hammond and added two rooftop bars with sweeping skyline vistas.

A post shared by The Robey Chicago (@therobeychicago) on Sep 20, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

The transformation of Fulton Market’s Allis Building from a five-story loft warehouse into the trendy Soho House hotel and private club proved that vintage industrial buildings are equally suited for hospitality roles. The 2014 adaptive reuse recreated the 1907 building’s original entryway mosaic and incorporated planks from its demolished rooftop water tower into artwork in the lobby.

A post shared by Hallie Stephens Drake (@hallie_stephens) on Aug 1, 2019 at 8:47am PDT

Another unusual former industrial property to recently receive a hotel makeover is the Near North Side’s Borden Dairy Depot which reopened in 2017 as the FieldHouse Jones. The 1930s-era brick and terracotta structure is home to both hotel and hostel accommodations. The reimagined interior features a sports-inspired motif complete with slot car racing tracks, vintage scoreboards and trophies, a lobby sculpture of 400 wooden tennis racket. Plus, a speakeasy named the Janitor’s Closet.

A post shared by FIELDHOUSE JONES (@fieldhousejones) on Aug 21, 2019 at 1:15pm PDT

Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by noted Chicago architect Alfred S. Alschuler and completed in 1923, the 23-story London Guarantee & Accident Building stands at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. The former office building reopened in 2016 as the 452-room LondonHouse hotel. The $200 million project retains the property’s original gold-leaf ceilings and murals. The hotel’s roof terrace remains a popular spot during Chicago’s warmer months and it has a great view of significant architecture along the river.

A post shared by LondonHouse Chicago (@lhchicago) on Jul 30, 2019 at 7:02pm PDT

This 1893 Venetian-Gothic style building by architect Henry Ives Cobb housed the private Chicago Athletic Association club until 2007. A 2015 redevelopment transformed the Michigan Avenue structure into a boutique hotel with 241 guest rooms. Now, the Chicago Athletic Association preserves much of the historic club’s architectural details including an ornate wood-trimmed lobby and a plaster ballroom. A rooftop restaurant and bar offers stunning views of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.

A post shared by Chicago Athletic Association (@chicagoathletichotel) on Oct 7, 2019 at 8:58am PDT

Standing like an oversized champagne bottle topped by gold foil, the 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building is a true Chicago icon. Designed by the Burnham brothers, the Art Deco building shifted from office space into the Hard Rock Hotel in 2004, which predates most conversions on this list. In 2017, the Hard Rock shut down and the space was turned into the St. Jane Hotel—named for Chicago-based social activist Jane Addams.

A post shared by Architecture (@archpng) on Nov 29, 2019 at 1:42pm PST

Designed by Holabird & Root and built in 1928, the 15-story Chicago Motor Club sat vacant from 2004 until a 2015 renovation reimaged the Art Deco building as a Hampton Inn. The adaptive reuse project embraces the structure’s motoring past in the lobby with an old-school 1928 Ford Model A and a restored vintage mural featuring a map of the United States’ highway system.

A post shared by Hartshorne Plunkard (@hartshorne_plunkard) on Nov 13, 2018 at 1:21pm PST

This landmarked office tower at the corner of Lake and Wabash opened in 2015 as the Virgin Hotel following a three-year renovation. The Old Dearborn Bank Building was completed in 1928 by architecture firm Rapp & Rapp, which was known for designing some of Chicago’s best-known movie palaces. The historic exterior conceals a playful contemporary interior topped by an indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge.

A post shared by Virgin Hotels Chicago (@virginhotelschi) on Jan 27, 2019 at 7:45am PST

Built in the heart of the Loop’s financial district in 1894 by celebrated architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney, the 14-story New York Life Insurance Building outlived its life as an office. Thankfully, after a push by local preservationists to landmark the property, the historic tower turned into the 293-room Kimpton Gray Hotel in 2016. The redevelopment repaired exterior brick and terracotta details, replaced aging windows, and restored interior marble to its 19th-century glory.

A post shared by Rolando Cervantes (@rolandin) on Nov 2, 2019 at 3:27pm PDT

This 35-story LaSalle Street landmark was built between 1915 and 1925 by architecture firm Holabird & Roche. It is considered Chicago’s best example of Portuguese Gothic Revival. After decades of office use, the Roanoke Building was made into the world’s largest Marriott Residence Inn in 2015. The repositioned property includes 380 extended stay guest rooms and 7,500 square feet of meeting space.

A post shared by Heritage Consulting Group (@heritageconsulting) on Jan 27, 2017 at 11:41am PST

Completed in 1927 by architecture firm Rapp & Rapp, the 21-story tower above the Loop’s historic James M. Nederlander Theatre (formerly known as the Oriental Theatre) was converted from vacant office space to a Cambria Hotel in 2017. While the project made few alterations to the building’s historic facade, the interior was remade into 199 guest rooms served by contemporary amenities.

A post shared by Cambria Chicago Loop (@cambriachicagoloop) on Jan 16, 2019 at 1:14pm PST

Constructed in the late 19th by Architects Daniel Burnham, John Root, and Charles Atwood, the Loop’s Reliance Building features a steel frame with a white glazed terracotta exterior and was the first high-rise to incorporate large plate glass windows. In 1999, the building underwent a major restoration and opened as the 122-room Hotel Burnham. The hotel portion later sold and was rebranded as the Staypineapple.

A post shared by Luke Rzewnicki (@lukerzewnicki) on Sep 28, 2018 at 5:07am PDT

In Wicker Park, the 203-foot-tall former Northwest Tower (also known as the Coyote Building) has loomed over the intersection of Damen, Milwaukee, and North avenues since the 1920s. Despite its impressive stature, the offices fell into disrepair. That all changed in 2016 after the property reopened as the 69-room Robey hotel. The refurb restored many of the Art Deco touches designed by original architects Perkins, Chatten, and Hammond and added two rooftop bars with sweeping skyline vistas.

A post shared by The Robey Chicago (@therobeychicago) on Sep 20, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

The transformation of Fulton Market’s Allis Building from a five-story loft warehouse into the trendy Soho House hotel and private club proved that vintage industrial buildings are equally suited for hospitality roles. The 2014 adaptive reuse recreated the 1907 building’s original entryway mosaic and incorporated planks from its demolished rooftop water tower into artwork in the lobby.

A post shared by Hallie Stephens Drake (@hallie_stephens) on Aug 1, 2019 at 8:47am PDT

Another unusual former industrial property to recently receive a hotel makeover is the Near North Side’s Borden Dairy Depot which reopened in 2017 as the FieldHouse Jones. The 1930s-era brick and terracotta structure is home to both hotel and hostel accommodations. The reimagined interior features a sports-inspired motif complete with slot car racing tracks, vintage scoreboards and trophies, a lobby sculpture of 400 wooden tennis racket. Plus, a speakeasy named the Janitor’s Closet.

A post shared by FIELDHOUSE JONES (@fieldhousejones) on Aug 21, 2019 at 1:15pm PDT