Walsh Construction builds 27-floor Hilton Garden Inn on slim, 4,700-square-foot parcel in the Loop
Published: 1/30/19
Walsh Construction built the GREC Architects-designed Hilton Garden Inn- North Loop between 2014 and 2015. Contractors managed to squeeze this new 27-floor, building between two landmark buildings- the Church of Christ Scientist to the west and the former Chicago Motor Club building to the east.
Close proximity to beloved landmark structures wasn’t the only complication behind Hilton Garden Inn- North Loop’s construction. The 96,000-square-foot, cast-in-place concrete project was built on a parcel of land that measures only 4,730 square-feet. Such narrow conditions required the use of a marine crane and a lot of patience for the build-out.
GDS Companies developed the 191-key Hilton Garden Inn North Loop project at 68 E Wacker Place. The hotel boasts the usual amenities including a 24-hour fitness center and 266-square-foot, conference center. Rooms come outfitted with a refrigerator, microwave, Serta mattress and HDTV. A few choice rooms even offer views of the Chicago River.
A giant, 10,000-square-foot mosaic nearly covers the entire western façade of the hotel. This installation is made up of large, insulated metal panels. Each panel is one of five different shades of grey and arranged together to represent sunlight reflecting off of the surface of the Chicago River.
Within two years of completion, owner Magna Hospitality Group sold the building to United Capital, an investment firm, for just under $58 million.
