Construction has commenced on the first phase of the 1901 Project, a $7bn (£5.2bn/€6.01bn) mixed-use development intended to transform the area around United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for the venture, which has been touted as the largest private investment on Chicago’s West Side.

Spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, respective owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks and co-owners of United Center, the 1901 Project will include housing, retail, entertainment and public open space on more than 55 acres of privately owned land surrounding the arena campus.

The United Center, said to be the second busiest arena in the US, was developed three decades ago with no government funding. Backed by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, officials have said the same will be true for the new project, with no plans to request city funding or tax increment financing assistance.

Music hall addition

First unveiled in July 2024, the 1901 Project in January 2025 received unanimous approval from the Chicago Plan Commission before full City Council sign-off the following month.

Scheduled to be completed by 2028, the focal point of the $500m first phase will be a 6,000-seat capacity theatre-style music hall. The opening phase also includes a new park space-topped parking garage and 180-room hotel.

Additional phases call for 25 acres of open space and extensive retail and office space. A variety of residential projects planned around the United Center are set to create up to 9,463 apartments.

“The energy in the walls of that building (United Center) are unlike anything we see in the city,” said Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. “Until now, that thrill, that excitement, starts only when you walk through those doors. But we’re going to change that.”

Bulls president, Michael Reinsdorf, added: “This is an important milestone because we’re moving this project from vision to reality. This is a special day for the West Side. It’s a special day for the city of Chicago.”