By Leslie Clark Lewis, Class of 2009
Northwest – Coyote – Robey
designslinger photo
The Northwest Tower, the 12-story Art Deco office building by Perkins, Chatten and Hammond, has stood sentry at the corners of Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenue since 1929. Originally a home for doctors, lawyers and other professionals, by the 1980s it added artists to its list of tenants. They called it ‘The Coyote,’ for its resemblance to that howling animal.
In 2012, developer Convexity Properties received approval to convert the building to a hotel, with Nicolas Schuybroek Architects and Marc Merckx Interiors heading the project. The building sits in two landmarked districts (Wicker Park Historic District and Milwaukee Avenue District), so the developers and architects were careful to meet the requirements set by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks as they made changes and upgrades.
Nick Fochtman photo
The $22.2MM project remained nameless for some time. According to Carlos Couturier of the hotel’s management team, the developers had struggled to find an original name. When they learned that Damen Avenue had been called Robey Street just before the building was built, it was their aha moment. The Robey was born.
The hotel is actually made up of two buildings: the tower building, which has 69-guest rooms, and the adjacent 5-story Hollander Fireproof Warehouse Building, which will serve as the hotel’s event space and has 20 guest rooms. The hotel has many amenities, but probably nothing beats the rooftop bar. Head on up top. Besides the fantastic view of the city, you can look out and see this wonderful Art Deco figure standing just outside.