The owners of the United Center have unveiled a $7 billion, seven-phased development project set to revolutionize the 55 acres surrounding the stadium. With its “jolt of new development,” the 1901 Project, named for the stadium’s address along Madison Street, aims to create a flourishing neighborhood in Chicago’s West Side with more green space, mixed use spaces, and new jobs. Design collective RIOS will serve as master planner while landscape design will be helmed by New York–based Field Operations.
United Center Joint Venture, owned by Chicago real estate tycoons Michael Reinsdorf and Danny Wirtz, is behind the 1901 Project. Both have strong footholds in Chicago real estate development and professional sports: Reinsdorf owns the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and Wirtz owns the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams play in the United Center, which will host the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
The United Center is in Chicago’s Near West Side neighborhood. Parking lots dominate the blocks directly surrounding the stadium and game-goers often choose to grab food or drinks in the slightly farther West Loop district.
For the project, Reinsdorf and Wirtz selected RIOS, a firm with a portfolio of exemplary urban and multi use developments. These include ongoing projects in Boulder, Colorado and Changzhou, China.
“The 1901 Project Master Plan builds on our team’s history of approaching sensitive placemaking,” senior project director at RIOS, Richard Peterson, said in a statement, “It aims to develop a forward-thinking model for urban growth by integrating architecture and landscape into a unified concept while also prioritizing humans over cars.”
Construction on Phase One will begin in 2025, and carries a set of developments: a 6,000-seat music hall, a 10-acre elevated park, enhanced parking facilities, pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, and roads, and the addition of mixed use buildings including retail spaces, hotels, and housing.
Reinsdorf and Wirtz plan to first convert parking lots adjacent to the stadium. According to The Chicago Sun Times, associates of Jerry Reinsdorf spent $44.7 million on several lots in February. The project will see the transformation of these concrete expanses into a “lively and active public realm,” according to a statement by Matt Grunbaum, an associate partner at Field Operations. “Stadiums worldwide are reinventing themselves to be more public-facing and integrated into their surrounding communities.”
Seven phases are planned, and will be further developed based on market conditions and community feedback. Future phases set out to produce both affordable and luxury housing; improve transportation infrastructure for bikes, pedestrians, cars, and rail; and prioritize community safety and accessibility with amenities such as decorative lighting, pedestrian plazas, and landscaping.
Throughout the ten year endeavor, Project 1901 will emphasize collaboration with local groups, partnering with minority and women owned construction firms, while also promoting apprenticeships, mentorship, and subcontracting opportunities to integrate smaller companies into the development process.
Project 1901 will be the largest private investment on Chicago’s West Side. It is projected to create 63,000 construction jobs and 12,000 permanent jobs, as well as produce $104 million in stabilized annual tax revenue for the city.
