Click images to view full size Blackstone Hotel Chicago, Illinois Project Type: Hotel Volume 39 Number 07 April–June 2009 Case Number: C039007 PROJECT TYPE A 23-story, 332-room luxury hotel located in downtown Chicago, Illinois, the Blackstone Hotel underwent a two-year renovation and reopened in March 2008. Built in 1910, the hotel has hosted 12 presidents and its Vice- Presidential Suite is the original “Smoke-Filled Room” from which the phrase originated. Developer Sage Hospitality Resources worked to ensure that historic details were repaired or replaced when necessary, yet the hotel also includes modern conference and event facilities, as well as a coffee shop and full-service restaurant. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a city of Chicago landmark, the rehabilitation of the structure was funded in part through state and federal historic tax credits as well as tax increment financing (TIF). The hotel is now part of the Marriott Renaissance brand. LOCATION Central Business District SITE SIZE 0.44 acre/0.18 hectare LAND USES Downtown Hotel, Restaurant, Convenience Center KEYWORDS/SPECIAL FEATURES Adaptive Use Boutique Hotel Historic Preservation High-Rise Building PROJECT ADDRESS 636 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois WEB SITE www.marriott.com/chirh DEVELOPER Sage Hospitality Resources Denver, Colorado 303-595-7228 www.sagehospitality.com ARCHITECT AND PLANNER Lucien Lagrange Architects Chicago, Illinois 312-751-7400 www.lucienlagrange.com INTERIOR DESIGN The Gettys Group, Inc. 312-836-1111 Chicago, Illinois www.gettys.com GENERAL CONTRACTOR James McHugh Construction Chicago, Illinois 312-986-8000 www.mchughconstruction.com HISTORIC PRESERVATION CONSULTANT Heritage Consulting Group Portland, Oregon 503-228-0272 www.heritage-consulting.com GENERAL DESCRIPTION Part of the Marriott Renaissance brand, the Blackstone Hotel is a historic 332-room luxury hotel with conference and event space, a Starbucks coffee shop, and a full-service restaurant. Since its construction, the 23-story building has had a long and storied history as a luxury hotel, and is known for hosting 12 U.S. presidents. It fell into disrepair in the late 20th century and was closed in 1999. Sage Hospitality purchased the structure in 2005, performed an extensive renovation, and reopened it in March 2008. Based in Denver, Colorado, Sage Hospitality Resources is a developer and manager of hotel projects across the United States. It has developed approximately 20 hotels, seven of which are renovations of historic buildings. BACKGROUND AND SITE The Blackstone Hotel was built in 1910 by the Drake family—the developer of Chicago’s famous Drake Hotel—and was designed by architecture firm Marshall & Fox. A notable example of beaux arts classical design in the city, the hotel is named after Timothy Blackstone, one of the founders of the Union Stock Yards. For many years, the Blackstone was one of the premier luxury and business hotels in Chicago, and, as mentioned earlier, 12 presidents stayed there—with Jimmy Carter being the last. In 1986, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1998 was listed as a city of Chicago landmark. Before Sage Hospitality bought it, the structure was owned by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—best known as the spiritual adviser to the Beatles—who planned to open the hotel as one of many meditation centers around the United States. The yogi’s plan did not come to fruition, however, and the building was not substantially updated or renovated. It finally closed in 1999. Around that time, a couple of hotel developers (including Sage Hospitality) considered renovating the building, and later a condominium redevelopment fell through. Finally, in December 2005, Sage Hospitality purchased the edifice with the intention of restoring it as a luxury hotel. The Blackstone is located in downtown Chicago, just outside the Loop, at 636 South Michigan Avenue, and at the northwest corner of Michigan and Balbo Drive, across Michigan Avenue from Grant Park. The Chicago Hilton is situated across Balbo Drive to the south, and Columbia College and its Museum of Contemporary Photography are north of the Blackstone on Michigan. The Merle Reskin Theater sits immediately to the west of the Blackstone. The closest competition for the Blackstone is the aforementioned Hilton and also the historic Palmer House, located approximately one half mile (0.8 km) north in the Loop. Both of these historic luxury hotels are substantially larger, each with more than 1,000 guest rooms, whereas the Blackstone has 332 and is somewhat more intimate as a result. Indeed, intimacy is a key part of the Blackstone’s appeal. The hotel’s direct competition is considered to be similar- sized, style-oriented products that are in and near the Loop. Hotels such as the W Chicago City Center, and both the Allegro and the Hotel Monaco (Kimpton hotels) offer upscale accommodations with an independent feel. Major brands such as Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, and other commonly recognized franchises tend to rely on a standard formula for systemwide consistency and mass appeal. Whether operating as “soft-branded” affiliates or completely independent hotels, properties like the Blackstone and its competitors hope to lure guests with style, personalized service, and unique features such as architecture or location. Licensing the Blackstone as an affiliate of Renaissance Hotels and Resorts gives the owner and operator access to Marriott’s powerful sales resources, including its global marketing, reservations sales system, and customer loyalty programs. Guests can book a room at the Blackstone through Marriott Worldwide Reservations and on the Marriott Web site, and members of Marriott Rewards (the frequent-guest club for Marriott brands) receive points and perks while staying at the Blackstone. Under the Renaissance flag, owners and operators typically have greater flexibility with the brand’s style and design requirements, allowing distinctive properties like the Blackstone to maintain their unique character. DEVELOPMENT, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION Construction (which started in March 2006 and ended in March 2008) lasted longer than it would have for new- construction hotels of similar size due to the attention to detail necessary to restore the numerous portions of the hotel that were deemed historic. The interiors of most guest floors were extensively renovated to optimize the layout and allow for more functional modern conveniences. As noted, the hotel stands at the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive. The main entrance to the lobby is on Balbo, although another entrance is located on Michigan Avenue that accesses the retail spaces and the lobby. Retail spaces on the street level facing Michigan Avenue include a Starbucks coffee shop, and an entrance to the main hotel restaurant. Building plans list the ground-level retail space along Michigan Avenue and the lobby to be on the same level, although the lobby is located approximately ten steps—a half-story—above the street level. The lobby contains reception desks and a lounge area for guests and visitors. It is accessible from the stairs at the main entrance off Balbo Drive and interior stairs from the street level on the Michigan Avenue side. As part of Sage’s redevelopment and modernization, an elevator was installed to allow for greater accessibility between the lower-level half-floors. The concourse level is below the lobby/street level. It contains the hotel’s executive offices, a business center, three meeting rooms, and the historic barber shop, which is now used as event space. Located directly above the street-level entrance and Starbucks is the main dining room of Mercat a la Planxa, the hotel restaurant. During the day, Mercat is accessible via the original broad staircase from the hotel lobby, but this entrance is sealed during the busy dinner service. Guests then use the restaurant’s Michigan Avenue entrance into Mercat’s street-level lounge before ascending to the dining room. The third floor is a mezzanine level with a private dining room and a club room for Marriott Rewards members to access during breakfast and happy hour times. The fourth floor contains the historic ballroom and a meeting room, and the fifth floor comprises the Art Hall, the English Room, and an additional meeting room. Floors six through 23 contain guest rooms. The sixth floor features guest rooms and a fitness center. Floors seven, eight, and 11 through 17 are nearly identical, with 22 guest rooms each. Floors nine and ten are similar, with the exception of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential suites, which are located above one another. Both suites were restored to their original condition as part of the project’s historic certification. Floors 18 through 22 are similar to other guest room floor plates, but guests on these floors pay premium room rates and receive additional services such as airport pickup and drop-off as well as room and concierge service; they also are granted access to the Hubbard Place Lounge, located on the 23rd floor. Formerly a maintenance shop, the 23rd floor was renovated and converted into the Hubbard Place Lounge, two boardrooms, and several larger guest suites. This portion of the hotel is housed under the building’s distinct mansard roof, giving the lounge and boardroom guests views through the porthole windows. All guest room floors were extensively renovated. Corridors were shifted and widened so that room layouts could be repositioned for modern functional hotel layouts. For example, in the original hotel, all bathrooms were located next to the exterior wall of guest rooms. They are now next to the corridors, as is the case with most contemporary hotels. However, this required extensive work to properly align the new plumbing stacks, optimize room size, and maximize the overall “key count” (total number of rooms). Guest rooms range in size from 300 to 500 square feet (28 to 46.5 sq m).