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The 1901 Project
The 1901 Project
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Other Projects by RIOS
The 1901 Project
Firm
STATUS
Concept
SIZE
1,000,000 +
BUDGET
$100M +
The United Center draws 2.5 million visitors annually, yet the surrounding West Side neighborhoods absorbed little of that energy. Decades of surface parking created a barrier between one of Chicago's most visited destinations and the communities around it, limiting opportunities for local economic growth.
The West Side carried the weight of long-term disinvestment. Pedestrian infrastructure was unsafe, green space was scarce, and economic opportunity remained limited. The United Center’s owners committed to unlocking the site’s potential as a catalyst for growth.
The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families launched a $7 billion private investment to transform this underutilized land into a neighborhood built for West Side residents as much as arena visitors. The ambition was a district open to all that generates lasting economic and civic value for Chicago.
RIOS led a comprehensive research effort alongside consultants and city agencies, conducting studies in transportation, economics, urban design, and demographics. The findings were clear: 84% of surrounding traffic passed through without stopping, and pedestrian crash rates ran 2.5 times the city average.
Those findings directly shaped the plan. RIOS replaced car-centric infrastructure with a pedestrian-first street network. The design includes paseos, slow streets, protected bike lanes, and widened sidewalks. A flexible urban grid anchored by an inner ring organizes retail, housing, hotel, and public space across seven development phases.
The open-space strategy draws from Chicago's civic motto, "Urbs in Horto": City in a Garden. Native plantings, living roofs, and elevated parks convert structured parking into active green space. Ecological systems lower surface temperatures up to 40°F and reduce stormwater runoff by 60%.
The 1901 Project is now under construction, delivering Chicago's largest private investment on the West Side. The district is designed without gates or admission fees and is open to residents, arena visitors, and tourists alike.
Phase One introduces the RIOS-designed 6,000-seat United Center Music Hall, a boutique hotel, ground-floor retail, and 10 acres of rooftop parks. At full buildout, the project delivers 9,463 homes, 20% affordable, along with 1,309 hotel rooms and 25 acres of connected green space.
Beyond its physical transformation of the site, the mixed-use development is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits. The project will generate approximately 63,000 construction jobs and 12,000 permanent positions upon completion. Upon reaching stabilized operations, the project is expected to generate $104 million in annual tax revenue and attract an estimated 4 million visitors annually, up from 2.5 million today. Together, these outcomes position the project as a major economic catalyst for Chicago's West Side, delivering lasting benefits for the city as a whole.
The West Side carried the weight of long-term disinvestment. Pedestrian infrastructure was unsafe, green space was scarce, and economic opportunity remained limited. The United Center’s owners committed to unlocking the site’s potential as a catalyst for growth.
The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families launched a $7 billion private investment to transform this underutilized land into a neighborhood built for West Side residents as much as arena visitors. The ambition was a district open to all that generates lasting economic and civic value for Chicago.
RIOS led a comprehensive research effort alongside consultants and city agencies, conducting studies in transportation, economics, urban design, and demographics. The findings were clear: 84% of surrounding traffic passed through without stopping, and pedestrian crash rates ran 2.5 times the city average.
Those findings directly shaped the plan. RIOS replaced car-centric infrastructure with a pedestrian-first street network. The design includes paseos, slow streets, protected bike lanes, and widened sidewalks. A flexible urban grid anchored by an inner ring organizes retail, housing, hotel, and public space across seven development phases.
The open-space strategy draws from Chicago's civic motto, "Urbs in Horto": City in a Garden. Native plantings, living roofs, and elevated parks convert structured parking into active green space. Ecological systems lower surface temperatures up to 40°F and reduce stormwater runoff by 60%.
The 1901 Project is now under construction, delivering Chicago's largest private investment on the West Side. The district is designed without gates or admission fees and is open to residents, arena visitors, and tourists alike.
Phase One introduces the RIOS-designed 6,000-seat United Center Music Hall, a boutique hotel, ground-floor retail, and 10 acres of rooftop parks. At full buildout, the project delivers 9,463 homes, 20% affordable, along with 1,309 hotel rooms and 25 acres of connected green space.
Beyond its physical transformation of the site, the mixed-use development is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits. The project will generate approximately 63,000 construction jobs and 12,000 permanent positions upon completion. Upon reaching stabilized operations, the project is expected to generate $104 million in annual tax revenue and attract an estimated 4 million visitors annually, up from 2.5 million today. Together, these outcomes position the project as a major economic catalyst for Chicago's West Side, delivering lasting benefits for the city as a whole.
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