This is an archived listing.

Downtown

Virgin Hotels Chicago

203 N. Wabash Ave.

DETAILS:

The noted architects of movie palaces such as the Chicago Theatre designed just two office buildings. This is one of them. The exterior of Rapp and Rapp's structurally-expressive Old Dearborn Bank Building sports playful terra-cotta figures. Today, the building is the world's first location for Virgin Hotels, whose innovative smartphone check-in removes the need for a traditional lobby. The tower was restored by Booth Hansen Architects, with lively interiors by Rockwell Group. The second-floor banking lobby has been remade into the Commons Club, a bar that pairs a restored ornate plaster ceiling with funky shag-upholstered furniture.

ARCHITECT, YEAR COMPLETED:

Rapp & Rapp, 1928

YEARS PARTICIPATED: