One of the best ways to experience Chicago is from a rooftop, so naturally hoteliers are cashing in. Case in point: The new Goettsch Partners-designed LondonHouse. Located at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, along the East Branch of the Chicago River, the 452-room hotel boosts a three-story penthouse bar and restaurant. The LondonHouse is a hybrid renovation-new-build with 183,000 of its total 250,000 square feet located in the historic Alfred Alschuler–designed 1923 London Guarantee Building. The remaining 67,000 square feet are in a narrow sliver of a building that finally completes Wacker’s streetwall, filling an odd 20-spot surface parking lot. This contemporary curtain-walled addition acts as the entry to the hotel with a second-floor lobby and restaurant, the Bridges Lobby Bar.
The main draw of the hotel for guests and the public alike is the three-story LH bar and restaurant on the building’s roof. With infinitely Instagrammable views up and down the river, the scene is a veritable architect’s dream. Directly across from the hotel sits no less than, Marina City, AMA Plaza (formerly IBM), the Trump Tower, the Wrigley Building, and the Tribune Tower. With special attention paid to the city’s landmarks codes, a cupola of the Guarantee Building has also been opened for events, accessible through LondonHouse.
LondonHouse
85 E Upper Wacker Dr., Chicago
Tel: 312-357-1200
Architect: Goettsch Partners
Interior Design: Simeone Deary Design Group