One of Chicago’s finest Art Deco buildings, the Chicago Motor Club (originally constructed in 1928), is back in use as a hotel.
Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue pays homage to the iconic landmark’s contribution to U.S. car culture with a 1928 Ford Model A and a large mural of popular road destinations on display in the hotel’s lobby.
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.
“The Chicago Motor Club building is a hallmark project, known not only for its historic presence in Chicago, but also as a treasure of 1920s Art Deco design,” said Erin Heckert, project designer at The Gettys Group. “Throughout the conversion process, we sought to incorporate the original grandeur of this fantastic space with the functional needs of a Hampton Inn property.”
“Returning the historic Chicago Motor Club Building to its original, exquisite form was extremely important to us,” added John Murphy, president of Murphy Asset Management, the hotel’s developer. “The Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue is in a fantastic location, and the historic significance and beauty of the building will add to the guest experience. It’s unique only to this location. ”
Standing 17-stories high, the LEED-certified hotel includes 143 guestrooms, each featuring complimentary Wi-Fi, a 42-inch (107-centimeter) flat-screen HDTV, an ergonomic desk and a coffeemaker.
Crescent Hotels & Resorts was selected as the management company to operate the hotel.