The Viceroy Hotel - An Architectural Critique
Source: Goettsch Partners
The Viceroy Hotel is at 1118 North State Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast Neighborhood. The architects that worked on it are Goettsch Partners and it is currently owned by Convexty Properties. The project work is shared by Stephanie Pelzar of Goettsch Partners. This 150,000 sq ft, 18 story hotel was completed in 2017. Originally built in the 1920’s, the neo-classical Cedar Hotel occupied the space until the Viceroy Hotel was built. The façade was carefully removed, catalogued, stored, restored, and ultimately rebuilt onto the new Viceroy building’s base, which now serves as the building’s main entrance, three-story lobby, and restaurant. (1) The remaining 14 stores sit a decent way back from the first four stories of the original Cedar Hotel providing a contract between the old and new. The remainder of the building is made of glass providing a contrast between the old Cedar Hotel and the new Viceroy Hotel.
The Cedar Hotel’s 1920’s aesthetic matches the surrounding brown stone walk up homes in the neighborhood which are not common in the Chicagoland area. The glass high rise hotel matches some of the newer high-rise condominiums in the neighborhood and blends the old and the new in the neighborhood.
When looking at the Viceroy hotel in elevation, two other towers stick out. They are two different high-rise buildings built after the 1920s and before the 2010s. The combination of buildings in the area show how development has changed throughout the years.
History
Plans for the Viceroy Hotel started in 2015. The Cedar hotel was once a single room occupancy hotel and then had more recently been used as a tavern which was commonly used as a beer garden. At the time, the State St. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) called that tavern "frankly, not always a good neighbor" (2). The Cedar Hotel was open from 10am to 2am and 3am on Saturday, which adds noise, and large groups of people, but in my opinion, that does not always mean that it is not good for the neighborhood. There are rows and rows of bars just a few blocks north on Division Street that add more people roaming in the neighborhood than one single bar.
Preservation Chicago was involved in the discussion of this historic structure and applauded developer Convexity Properties and architect Goettsch Partners, along with Alderman Reilly and Alderman Hopkins and their staff, for their commitment to protecting and valuing the historic fabric of the original building. However, I do wonder why they were not able to preserve the entire building and felt that the façade was the only thing worth salvaging. If there were structural elements that were no longer safe to salvage, I understand but if the developers just deemed the detailed façade worthy of saving, then I question their views on adaptive reuse, sustainability and preserving history. After doing additional research I noticed that they did keep the original Cedar Hotel marquee as well. This gave me mixed feelings, feelings of joy and happiness that the sign was actually saved and utilized somewhere, but then even a little angrier that they saved that sign but couldn't save the sign imbedded into the façade publicizing the hotel and front entrance.
The image below shows an entrance into the Cedar Hotel and a large sign publicizing the hotel. I would have loved to see this sign incorporated in the design of the façade or incorporated elsewhere. I strongly believe that if you are planning on utilizing existing features of a structure, that you pay as much respect and homage to the history as you are working on. For those that are not from Chicago, or those that are young, many may not know that the Viceroy is adapting an existing structure, but by adding the sign, it allows the viewer or visitor to question why it’s there and become inquisitive about the building itself and its history. I feel that adding the sign would add the last bit of architectural history that is needed to marry the old historic building to a new modern structure.
Site
The Viceroy sits at the intersection of Rush St, E Cedar St, and N State Street. Rush Street's history traces back to the original incorporation of the city in the 1830s. The first mayor of Chicago resided on Rush Street, and other local representatives have resided here. Today, it continues to run through some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country and has businesses that correspond to the demands of its residents. It was news to me to learn that Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood is the country's second most wealthy neighborhood next to Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood is home to side streets of mansions, town homes, and mansions and some of the remaining town homes from the Near North Neighborhood and South into the Loop. Homes range in value from $2 million to $8 million. There are a few rental properties, however they are neatly disguised amongst the multimillion-dollar mansions. These homes sit on the east side of Rush and West side of Lakeshore Drive. Rush street, specifically where the Viceroy sits, is the furthest west that the wealthy district extends. The old Cedar Hotel’s façade fits nicely in the neighborhood and keeps the classic brownstone 1920’s feel to the newer modern neighborhood that is trying to become posh and fancy. The remaining fourteen floors is not the first high rise in the neighborhood, so it doesn’t disrupt the skyline. The architects did a good job with blending it in to the existing high-rise buildings that surround it. A high-rise sits two buildings south at 1100 N State Street, and another boarders it to the north at 1130 N State Street. The building at 1100 N State Street is an older condo building with an older, not updated one bed and one bath units of only 735 square feet selling for $365,000. Down the street at 1130 N State Street, a two bed and two bath condo is selling for about $527,600. These rates a high for downtown Chicago, but consistent with the Gold Coast. Now, in 2022, there are more high-rise buildings popping up in the neighborhood. There is a new all glass high rise condo building being built at the intersection of Elm and State Street. One new high-rise building sits at 4 E Elm Street with a La Colombe Coffee Roasters café and a Bluemercury cosmetics shop at the ground floor. 4 E Elm Street owned by Signature Chicago Real Estate, is a 23-story building consisting of only 35 units. For reference, I live in a 2 bed and 2 bath 1400 square foot apartment just a 15 a minute walk from the Gold Coast, and there are 200 units in the high-rise condominium. 4 E Elm Street contains only two units per floor, and they range in size between 3,100 and 3,500 square feet. Each unit has their own private elevator entrance into their unit. A full floor penthouse unit at the top floor has a massive outdoor terrace. The condos feature high-ceilings, floor to ceiling windows with views of both the city and the lake, not always commonly found in Chicago. They have open floor plans, custom kitchen designs with high end Wolf & Subzero appliances, and private balconies. Residents have access to an abundance of amenities which include a club lounge, movie theater, conference room, fitness center with a yoga studio, and an outdoor swimming pool, all things guests at the Viceroy would expect.
Private entrances and private elevators are a relatively new concept in high-rise living that I've seen and very popular in affluent buildings. I visited a job site for a new mid right condo building in the West Loop, and each floor was only one unit, with their own private elevator and entrance. The building had its structural framing up and a few floors of concrete and was already 75% committed. I really wonder who is buying these types of homes and who can afford to live like that. However, the neighborhood is now to the liking of the local alderman, catering to locals who can afford to spend millions of dollars on condo and $50 lunches. (4)
The neighborhood hosts expensive restaurants, five-star hotels, and four-star spas, retail shops, and global luxury fashion brands. The street, which was named after Declaration of Independence signator Benjamin Rush, was once known for its nightlife, especially at the northern end, which features entertainment that attracts locals and visitors. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was the most vibrant nightlife entertainment destination in the country outside of Las Vegas, with major stars like Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Oscar Peterson, to name a few. By the 1980s many of these establishments shuttered.
Twenty years later, during the mid 2000’s the area transformed into a hard partying area, less classy than it was in the 1960s and 1979s. The Viceroy is a half a mile west of Lake Michigan, and only a 10-minute walk to Oak Street Beach adding to many people’s desires to live in the area and increases tourists’ desire to stay in the neighborhood.
In 2015, the project had been stalled for months and was stuck on hold. By then, the property had generally been vacant for years. A zoning application filed at the end of 2014 was held by the Chicago City Council's zoning committee. The move generally meant that the legislation at the time did not have enough votes to pass but did not kill the proposal outright. This was because many local Gold Coast residents were not happy with the plans for the hotel development at the time. They expressed concerns that the high-rise hotel, originally slated for 22 stories, would block sunlight, and add hotel parking and traffic congestion. While the sunlight problem could only be addressed by reducing the height from 22 stores to 18 stories, adding and utilizing a valet service aided in the traffic and congestion concern in the area.
It makes sense that Los Angeles based Viceroy Hotel Group chose this location for their first Chicago based hotel. With hotels in California, New York, Miami and Colorado, choosing to add Chicago to the list makes sense. Their rooms run from about $450 to $500 a night (pretax) which aligns with the clientele that would most likely choose to stay in a posh part of Chicago versus off the Magnificent Mile, or in an Airbnb/VRBO in one of Chicago’s numerous cute and quaint neighborhoods.
Source: Goettsch Partners
Materials
The first four levels are made of the original facade of the Cedar hotel. The Cedar hotel facade was made brick and terracotta. It was carefully removed, catalogued, stored, restored, and then rebuilt onto the new building’s base. The remaining 14 floors are made of a glass curtain wall. The drastic contrast of the glass curtain wall of the hotel tower is a geometric and angled, similar to if you fold a piece of paper like an accordion. The geometry is inspired by the argyle-like pattern found in the historic brick façade from the original Cedar Hotel. The design solution creates “harmony through contrast” in which both the old and new are rich examples of their specific eras. (4) I appreciate that the architect chose to make the glass curtain wall more detailed instead of flat straight on glass and appreciated how they chose to design the curtain wall to play in harmony with the first four stories details and geometry. The accordion-like shape of the glass allows light to hit each panel differently causing a sense of depth, and texture that one can associate with masonry. The panels also have a sense of lightness to them and allow for a sense of transparency when you’re looking at the building. If the panels were flat, the glass would seem heavy and thick and dull.
But, when looking at the Viceroy next to its neighboring buildings, the glass façade sticks out against the older masonry buildings in the area and is a little off-putting. As new buildings start popping up in the area, I assume they will also be glass and will blend the old and the new buildings together, but for now, it just looks out of place.
Also, as much as I enjoy the use of glass to define the top 14 stores and add a distinct character to the building, I was off put when I noticed something about the building when I looked at it from a different angle. When you first look the Viceroy straight on, you see two district different sets of material, the first being historic masonry with detailed terra cotta stone and the second being an all glass curtain wall. It appears that the bottom four stories are comprised of the original brick and masonry with terra cotta sone and then then remaining 14 stories are all glass. But, when you move around the building you noticed that the top 14 stories are actually made of glass and masonry with the masonry supporting the north side of the building, the west side of the building and the south side of the building and the glass curtain wall is only on the east facing wall. It looks as if the structure of the entire building is all masonry with the glass adhered directly onto the face of the masonry structure. This was very off putting to me and seemed lazy and unimaginative. I’m not sure if there were structural issues that caused this choice to be made, but I have to believe that there would be some way to make a building with the bottom half masonry and the top off steel framed and glass. The choice to make the structure all masonry seemed to me like a little kid took a lego block, drew on a piece of paper and then taped it to the block, like the glass was an afterthought to make the building different than what it originally was and make it different. It’s quite deceiving and disappointing to make this realization.
Structure
The first four floors are made of brick and terra cotta utilizing the existing façade of the Cedar Hotel and the rest of the four stories are utilizing new masonry. A parapet separates the first four floors from the remaining 14 stories. It sits at 46 feet and 6 inches off grade. The front facing façade of the remaining 14 floors are made of a glass curtain wall system that’s sits at 188 feet above grade. Here is where the rooftop pool and bar sit. Above that there are 12 additional feet of structure, and then another eight feet of over-run. The 12 feet of structure is made of masonry with aluminum framed glazing system.
As stated earlier, the front facing, east side is all a glass curtain wall, and then the remining over three sides are masonry. The two sides facing north and south are actually a combination of glass curtain wall and masonry. I’m really intrigued by the fact that Goettsch Partners, Inc chose to use masonry for the back half of the remaining 14 stories instead of a steel structure with a glass curtain wall. Masonry isn’t commonly seen in new builds, especially high-rises. Masonry is expensive, time consuming and requires skilled labor which isn’t as common to come by anymore. Steel framing would have been quicker and less expensive since they manufacture the steel columns and beams offsite and then transfer them back to the job site. Steel columns and beams are also much more readily available and can be manufactured quickly, while masonry bricks are harder to come by and usually have to be shipped in from elsewhere.
There are a few buildings in the Chicago area that are newer that are utilizing both masonry, steel framing, and a glass curtain wall. One that comes to mind easily is the building at 224 N Michigan Ave which is comprised of a midrise condo building and Venteux Chicago, a French brasserie, cafe and oyster bar. Venteux is connected to the historic Carbide and Carbon building and shows a similar connection between a historic building and a new modern building. 224 N Michigan Ave is similar to the Viceroy in that it is a masonry building with a glass curtain wall façade as the front façade. However, because this building is a midrise and only comprised of 12 units, it is situated between two buildings that cover the exposure of brick and masonry.
Details
When it comes to exterior detailing, the Viceroy does a wonderful job. While it is the work of a previous designer and architect, the desire to keep the façade adds much needed character to the building. The use of terra cotta stone to frame the ends of the building and lead the eye down is nice and distinctive, but only one of the sides frames an entrance or anything below it. On the right, your eye is drawn to the entrance to the hotel, but on the left your eye is drawn to a fence. The lowest levels of windows are framed in terra cotta and bring your eye up to the center of the building and away from the thick row of terra cotta framing the top of the first floor. Then your eye is drawn to the circles between the send and third floor windows. They are much smaller and less detailed than the framing for the lowest level of windows and complement each other nicely. And lastly, the star of the show is the bright white thick parapet detailing the end of the Cedar Hotel. It’s almost as thick as one window is tall, but it doesn’t detract from the windows. The multiple layers of detailing on it add a perfect amount of depth and the arches found in the lower rows complement the circles just below the windows. Above that there are two more rows of details along the parapet neatly framing the remaining detail. One thing that is new to the façade is the addition of lights along the parapet. The lights are a fabulous addition and light up the remainder of the façade and showcase the beautiful detail and contrast that masonry and terra cotta provide.
TAL Studio did the interior design for the hotel and restaurant. Once inside the Viceroy there are distinct feelings you will get depending on which entrance you go through. If you enter through Devereaux you will notice lots of light, high ceilings, blue hues, brass and gold finishes, wood accents, and white columns and can see upstairs at additional restaurant seating. When you enter through the lobby space you will notice white marble, a geometric tile flooring design, tall ceilings and a 30-foot blue art wall inscribed with quotes from Marcel Proust. As you navigate towards hotel check-in, you will be hit with a stark contrast. The space is much darker, the ceilings feel shorter. You will most likely notice the massive light fixture hanging in the middle of the space, and smaller brass light fixtures lining the hallway leading you to the elevators. Viceroy’s 180 guest rooms also feature distinctive, sculptural headboard-walls. (3)
Program
When arriving at the Viceroy Hotel, its layout from the street is already a little confusing. There are two sidewalks to take you into the building, one of which has a valet stand next to it and is covered by a barreled cover to lead you into the hotel. The other sidewalk is lined with round white light features to lead you into the restaurant. From the outside, it looks like these could be two different entities all together, but once you go inside either of them you realize it is all connected as you move towards the back past the restaurant tables. There is also signage directing you around the side of the building into an alley between Velvet Taco, a fast casual late night taco joint, to take their side elevator if you are going to the rooftop. It is feels like an afterthought and showing their guests the side alley where dumpers and laundry service pick up is is the complete opposite of what the hotel is trying to convey.
The Viceroy hotel is accompanied by 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space 2,200 square feet of that include a ballroom and conference room and an adjoining large outdoor terrace. There is also a rooftop that includes a pool and a bar, and three different dining options round out the amenities, two of which are inside, and one is outside on the patio. (1). I have not visited the ballroom, conference room, or event space, but I have dined at Somerset, the American restaurant on the ground floor and second floor. Boka Restaurant Group partner Rob Katz described Somerset as having a marina, yacht-club fell, which is definitely not the vibe or terms I would use to categorize this space. To me, it seems like any other new restaurant geared toward a fancy, upscale experience. After looking again at pictures of the space, I can see where the restauranter and designers were trying to get at, but without knowing that this is the vibe they were going for, I would never have classified it as so. I would classify it as a modern American space. I do, however, think it’s difficult to create a marina or yacht club experience in a large city, but think that the restaurant chair Hampton Social did a good job. The space feels similar to the city’s members only club experiences that Soho House has created. The whole idea with Soho House though is creating a member's experience that is for artists and creatives, generally the complete opposite of the clientele at a marina or yacht club.
I have also been to the rooftop, but again, it felt more like being inside a Soho House versus a country club. It seems like a handful of other hotel rooftops in the city, just newer and more modern. I understand the intent to put a pool on the roof to give that country club feel, but tables associated with the bar sit along the perimeter of the pool that don’t allow for many patrons to hang out at the pool and relax. The pool is also pretty small, and I know I would feel uncomfortable being in a pool while people in fancy clothes sat around me enjoying fancy cocktails. During the colder winter months, the rooftop pool deck and patio are closed, and the bar feels much more enclosed and smaller. It feels like you are in the lobby of a small boutique hotel, which I think fits much nicer with the aesthetics of the space. Overall, the restaurants and bars feel a little stuffy, posh, and pretentious. But their restaurant does offer a few items I occasionally think about, their rolls and butterscotch pudding, specifically, and their outdoor patio and rooftop do offer space in the neighborhood to enjoy Chicago’s summer.
References
Images - Curtesy of Goettsch Partners, DNAinfo/Michael Shin and Jay Koziarz
(1) https://preservationchicago.org/2017/07/31/20-win-old-cedar-hotel-reborn-as-viceroy-chicago/
