CHICAGO
Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, the historic Chicago Motor Club Building is back to life, reopening as a Hampton Inn and featuring one of the few remaining Art Deco lobbies in the City of Chicago
Situated at 68 E. Wacker Place in downtown Chicago, the Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/N Loop/Michigan Ave is located just one block south of the Chicago River, a location that merges the business of the Loop with the high energy nightlife of Chicago’s popular River North and Streeterville neighborhoods.
The hotel’s owner, Integrated Motor Club LLC, an affiliate of Murphy Asset Management (MAM), has invested substantially into the impressive transformation of one of Chicago’s finest Art Deco buildings, the historic 1928 Chicago Motor Club Building.
Paying homage to the landmark’s contribution to the United States’ car culture, a significant amount of the renovation budget was dedicated to preserving the 33-foot high lobby featuring a 29-foot mural of popular road destinations, designed by John Warner Norton. As one of the few remaining Art Deco lobbies in Chicago, the space includes two balconies on the mezzanine level overlooking the lobby, one of which has a 1928 Ford Model A on display as a tribute to the history of the building. Jack’s Place, a 67-seat cocktail bar is located on the first floor, making the hotel one of only a few Hampton Inn hotels nationally to have a lobby bar.
Standing 17-stories high, Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue boasts 143 guest rooms, each featuring complimentary WiFi, a 42-inch flat-screen HDTV, an ergonomic desk and a coffeemaker. The LEED Certified hotel will offer guests state-of-the-art cardio equipment in the 24-hour fitness center, a 24-hour business center, and two versatile meeting rooms with the latest A/V technology.
The design team drew heavily from the historic Art Deco stylings of the original construction by preserving and restoring original design elements while incorporating streamlined forms, metallic tones, jewel hues, and rich wood textures that recapture the majesty of the building’s former occupants, The Chicago Motor Club.
Known as one of Chicago’s finest Art Deco-style skyscrapers, the former Chicago Motor Club Building was completed within 265 days in 1928. More than just a social and sporting group, the Chicago Motor Club wielded power in advocating for city improvements, including the widening of North Michigan, the installation of a public parking garage in Grant Park, and the transformation of Wacker Drive into a double-decker motorway.
Crescent Hotels & Resorts, LLC of Fairfax, Va., is the management company for the hotel.
