For the renovation, the building was essentially "gutted back tothe bare walls, preserving as much of the original historicalfinish where we could," he says. The building, constructed in 1906,is a Chicago landmark and was the tallest building in Chicago atthe time. Anderson/Miller, Ltd. was the hotel designer. "I think weended up with a product that both preserves the history of thatbuilding…and adds a really edgy contemporary feel," Habeeb says.Hampton Inn was chosen for the hotel brand because FirstHospitality also operates a Hampton Inn at 33 W. Illinois St. and"we have found that the brand has a great presence and is very wellreceived in Chicago," he says.

The Nederlander Organization had owned the building since 1991and will retain ownership of the theater, and is a partial owner ofthe hotel. The hotel project was a joint venture betweenRosemont-based First Hospitality Group, Northbrook-based NorthernRealty Group and Broadway in Chicago, which is a venture betweenthe Nederlander Organization and Clear Channel Entertainment. "TheNederlander Organization, which operates the theater, initiated theproject with Northern Realty a couple of years back because theyfelt like it was just a great marriage of their theatre businessand an operating hotel," Habeeb says.