In the heart of Chicago's bustling Wicker Park / Bucktown neighborhood sit two sister hotels -
The Robey & The Robey Hall.

Pic

The Robey is a modern hotel retrofitted into the Northwest Tower, an historic Art Deco masterpiece. Originally built as an office tower in 1929 and designed by Perkins, Chatten and Hammond, the Northwest tower soars 203 feet above the landscape.

Pic

The building's triangular footprint means each of the 69 rooms is full of light on a backdrop of spectacular neighborhood views.

Pic

The hotel also offers a full-service restaurant and lounge,

Pic

and a rooftop bar and pool.

Pic

Next door, The Robey Hall is nestled inside the historic 1905 Hollander Fireproof Warehouse. This trend-setting space offers 20 unique multi-bedded hotel rooms.

Pic

The street level communal area serves as lounge, lobby, bar and coffee shop, with onsite bicycle rental.

Architectural Tour

The architecture of these hotels is magnetic, a perfect Americana blend of history and modernism. Each of the two historic buildings has a distinct aesthetic, which creatively interprets the original building's functions and design.

  • image

    The Robey’s restoration focused on keeping the original Art Deco details and materials. The exterior restoration repaired the building’s spandrels, buckling brick and buffed limestone panels. New windows replicate the look of the original panes. The parapet was meticulously rebuilt, the bronze cupola and lantern were restored and a two-story glass and cast-iron storefront was completely replicated.

  • image

    Inside, the Robey adds a contemporary touch to a material palette that alludes to the late 1920s when the structure was constructed as an office building – including poured terrazzo counters and floors, repurposed wood and glass guest room doors, and painted millwork trim and cabinetry.

  • image

    The original dark green marble, terra cotta floors and bronze elevator doors dominate The Robey’s lobby.

  • image

    The lobby's revolving wood door was restored by its original Indiana-based manufacturer. Even the directory from the former office building was preserved.

  • image

    At The Robey Hall, the restoration carefully retained the grit and grace of the original warehouse, including the neo-classical, terra cotta façade along Milwaukee Avenue.

  • image

    The interior design maintains the unfinished look of its original warehouse function throughout its lobby and rooms. This is complemented with the use of industrial materials such as clear epoxy finished concrete floors, marine-grade plywood furniture, exposed ductwork and piping, and cement-board cladding. The building’s original concrete floors have been restored and the original concrete ceilings remain exposed throughout.

  • image

    A roll-up garage door that once let in trucks has been replaced with a glass lobby entrance and windows were added to the northwest side of the brick exterior.

Looking Forward, Looking After

Pic

The 203-foot tall Northwest Tower was the first high-rise built outside of Chicago’s downtown area. The mostly vacant building had been neglected for the better part of 50 years.

Pic

The Northwest Tower's main lobby featured marble wainscoting. To restore it, the team carefully removed the marble in The Robey to create pass-throughs to The Robey Hall. After removing the marble, the openings were cut to size, and the marble polished and reinstalled, creating an easy connection to the amenities of both hotels for all guests, while maintaining the historic look and feel of both.

Pic

The team worked with the National Park Service to ensure the new design maintained the building’s landmark status. About 60 percent of the buildings' brick façade had to be replaced.

Pic

Perched atop The Robey you'll see the original flagpole. Scaffolding was installed 75 feet above the roof level to recoat and reinforce the flagpole and then restore the surrounding copper. In the cupola itself, the window sashes were replaced, the lantern was repaired, and new lights were installed.

Pic

At The Robey Hall, plans for a rooftop pool meant the old roof had to be replaced. Structural steel was wrapped around the columns to ensure the structural integrity before a new roof went on.

Pic

The Robey was named one of the best new hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine and has been profiled by such acclaimed magazines as Architectural Digest and Vogue.

The Robey & The Robey Hall

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Owner/Developer: Convexity Properties

Owner’s Representative: Mark Development Advisors, Inc.

Architect of Record: Antunovich Associates

Design Architect: Delordinaire, Nicolas Schuybroek Architects + Marc Merckx Interiors

Photography: Mark Ballogg Photography

Videography: Threaded Films