Design and Construction Report staff writer
Site plans for Bally’s Chicago Casino have been approved by the city’s planning and development department.
Project specs include a 500-room, 34-story hotel tower with a large pool spa, fitness center and sun deck, as well as a rooftop restaurant bar on the 30-acre former Chicago Tribune printing site.
Approval comes after the original design was changed to accommodate underground infrastructure.
Bally’s and Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. signed a binding term sheet for $940 million construction funding, along with other financing transactions, that together GLPI expects to fund $2.07 billion to Bally’s. GLPI and Bally’s have agreed to a strategic alliance on the Chicago casino and hotel tower construction development. GLPI’s principals have over three decades of construction development in the gaming and entertainment industry.
Contractors include Gary, Indiana-based Powers & Sons Construction, and Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co.
The plan includes a 3,000-seat theater, six restaurants, cafes and a food hall, and a 2-acre public park, per the release. Additionally, the property will connect to the lower riverbank with an approximately 2,000-foot-long extension of the riverwalk.
Bally’s took possession of the former Tribune Publishing site, 777 W. Chicago Avenue, last July. Brandenburg Industrial Service Company is nearing completion of the demolition.
“We’ve been working hard in the background to restore the full hotel tower for Bally’s Chicago Casino and absolutely intend to meet the September 2026 opening date as planned,” George Papanier, President of Bally’s Corporation said in a press release. “We are also happy to announce that Gaming and Leisure Properties has agreed to finance this entire development in a single phase to ultimately deliver a better project in a more efficient manner.”
The project is expected to create about 3,000 construction jobs.
Renderings of the improved site plan were prepared by HKS, a global design firm with an office in Chicago that provides award-winning ho spitality and entertainment design services. HKS designed the Grand Hyatt Nashville, MGM National Harbor gaming resort in Maryland, The Palazzo in Las Vegas, and The Venetian Macao. The design for Bally’s Chicago will add to the rich architectural history of Chicago with an iconic addition to the riverfront skyline, pulling inspiration from the Chicago River for the form-pulling activity from the river up the façade creating a dynamic, iconic building incorporating undulations of the skin.
“We are proud to be part of the new site plan for Bally’s Chicago Casino, which highlights a commitment to innovative and iconic design that not only preserves essential infrastructure but also elevates the architectural magnificence of Chicago’s skyline,” said Jess Corrigan, Partner and Regional Practice Director of Commercial Mixed-Use at HKS. “We look forward to collaborating with Bally’s and city officials to bring this ambitious project to life.”
The Chicago Community Builders Collective (“CCBC”), a minority-led construction partnership, is poised to implement the improved site plan and bring the Bally’s Chicago Casino vision to life.
“We at the Chicago Community Builders Collective are thrilled about the future of Bally’s Chicago Casino and are excited to see this project come to fruition,” said Jimmy Akintonde, CCBC member and President & CEO of Ujamaa Construction. “As the general contractor, we are proud to be at the forefront of this significant development that promises to bring jobs, economic growth, and vibrant entertainment to our city. We look forward to this project’s positive impact on Chicago and are committed to ensuring its success.”
