December 7, 2007
CONTACT: Susanne Voeltz
For The Blackstone-A Renaissance Hotel
Phone: 608/284-0848 608/239-8952 cell susi@mailbag.com
An Artful Renaissance for Chicago’s Blackstone
Reclaiming the Architecture and the Memories with a Contemporary Twist
$118 Million Showcase Renovation Transforms the Chicago Legend into
The Blackstone –A Renaissance Hotel
Chicago, IL December 7, 2007- A prominent Chicago architectural icon, the former Blackstone hotel, once a symbol of economic progress and civic pride that was celebrated as the “Hotel of Presidents” and played host to countless celebrities including Katharine Hepburn, Tennessee Williams Paul Newman and Lena Horne will open soon as The Blackstone, a 332-room luxury Renaissance-brand hotel.
The $128 million showcase renovation of the long dormant, 23-story, Beaux-Arts Blackstone hotel by Sage Hospitality Resources, the Denver, Co based hospitality company that is also managing the hotel, is expected to be complete in early 2008. Located at 636 South Michigan Avenue, in the heart of the City’s arts and theater district -adjacent to the world class Millennium Park, The Blackstone represents yet another significant development milestone in the renaissance of Chicago’s South Loop downtown
The Blackstone’s ambiance will invoke an imaginative, distinctly Chicago experience with a dynamic mix of historic architecture and innovative design elements combined with luxury amenities and thoughtful guest services.
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A specially curated collection of over 1400 original artworks exclusively by Chicago artists promises to lend a decidedly contemporary twist to the character of the hotel. Guests entering the lavishly restored, historic Blackstone lobby will be treated to an exciting visual counterpoint with an avante garde video-generated computer art piece that will present exquisitively composed and perpetually changing views of Chicago’s lakefront displayed on plasma television screens. The Blackstone will feature 332 stylish guest rooms, 12 sumptuous suites, 13,230 square feet of meeting space, and a health club and business center. A street level Starbucks Café with outdoor seating will serve hotel guests, the local business community and neighborhood residents. The Sage Restaurant Group will also open and operate an independent destination restaurant at the Michigan Avenue location, Mercat a la Planxa, offering modern Catalan cuisine.
The Blackstone is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In order to preserve its architectural integrity, the Blackstone Hotel is being renovated as a “certified historic rehabilitation” in accordance with preservation guidelines established by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Whenever possible, The Blackstone’s significant historic and architectural elements are being preserved, refurbished and incorporated in the renovation design. The primary historic facades of the 23-story landmark have been fully retained and restored including the hotel’s ornate terra cotta cladding that embellishes the hotel’s exterior.
Some highlights of The Blackstone’s interior features to be preserved and restored by Sage Hospitality include:
· The main lobby, including the stairs from the lobby to the second level and the stairs between the lobby and the Balbo Street entrance, fireplace, plaster ornamentation, registration desk and mahogany embellishment.
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· The original grand ballroom, called the Crystal Ballroom and its fourth floor lobby including plaster restoration.
· The marble-clad barbershop located on the Concourse Level.
· The Art Hall and English Room located on the fifth floor.
· The southeast corner suite on the ninth floor from which derives the expression the “Smoke-filled Room,” and is also believed to have been known as the “Governor’s Suite”, where Warren G. Harding was chosen as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee amid clouds of cigar smoke; and
· The southeast corner suite on the tenth floor known as the “Presidential Suite.”
As part of The Blackstone renovation, Sage sensitively redesigned all the guest room floors to reconfigure and dramatically enlarge the hotel’s rooms. A previously unfinished space under the porthole-accented mansard roof is being transformed into a series of luxury suites overlooking Lake Michigan. The interior design pays homage to Chicago, incorporating modern finishes and an eclectic mix of elegant furniture styles and fabrics while embracing the classical architecture of the landmark hotel.
Blackstone History
Built by prominent hoteliers Tracy and John Drake between 1908 and 1910, the Blackstone is considered Chicago’s finest example of a turn-of-the-century luxury hotel. The Beaux-Art architectural landmark was designed by the architectural firm Marshall & Fox and named for Timothy Blackstone, the president of the Illinois Central Railroad, whose mansion had stood on the site. For many decades, The Blackstone was considered to be Chicago’s premier luxury hotel playing host to numerous celebrities including Enrico Caruso who was present at its opening, Rudolph Valentino, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Carl Sandburg who celebrated his 75th birthday there.
Fondly referred to as the “Hotel of Presidents”, the Blackstone housed every U.S. president from William Taft through Jimmy Carter with the exceptions of Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford. It was at the Blackstone that did a reporter coin the inspiration for the phrase “smoke filled room”, during Warren G. Harding’s nomination for the presidency in 1920 at the hotel. The Blackstone’s Ballroom was also the setting for the billiard room in the 1986 film “The Color of Money” featuring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise.
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Declared a Chicago Landmark on April 28, 1998, the Blackstone was briefly owned by the Beatles’ spiritual advisor, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi but had lain dormant since 1999, before Sage Hospitality acquired the property in 2005.
About Sage Hospitality Resources
Founded in 1984, Sage Hospitality Resources has strategically grown into one of the largest privately held hotel management and development company in the nation.
During the past five years, the Denver, CO-based firm has completed over $1.1 billion in acquisition and development projects, using some of the most unique financing structures in the industry. Sage is a preferred franchise partner for Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. In addition to major international brands, Sage’s comprehensive management portfolio includes independent hotels such as the Curtis Hotel in Downtown Denver, with a décor and ambiance that is a celebration of Pop Art.
Recently Sage established the Sage Restaurant Group SRG to create, develop, and manage dynamic, innovative destination restaurants including the Mercat at The Blackstone.
Sage is also nationally recognized for converting historic properties into signature hotels. Since 1997, when the company pioneered its first urban redevelopment initiative, Sage has preserved and transformed six underutilized national landmarks into award-winning hotel properties that serve as an important catalyst for downtown revitalization. Historic projects that have recently been completed or are in the process of renovation are the Renaissance Providence Hotel in Providence, RI, The Blackstone in Chicago, IL and The Nines, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel, in Portland, Oregon.
