Construction has commenced on the first phase of the 1901 Project, a $7bn (\u00a35.2bn\/\u20ac6.01bn) mixed-use development intended to transform the area around United Center, home of the NBA\u2019s Chicago Bulls and NHL\u2019s Chicago Blackhawks.<\/p>\n
A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for the venture, which has been touted as the largest private investment on Chicago\u2019s West Side.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Music hall addition<\/p>\n
First unveiled in July 2024,\u00a0the 1901 Project<\/a>\u00a0in January 2025 received unanimous approval from the Chicago Plan Commission<\/a> before full City Council sign-off the following month.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n