Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Chicago / Pendry Chicago
Pendry Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States · Pendry · High Luxury
The Carbide & Carbon Building at 230 North Michigan opened in 1929, a 37-story Art Deco tower by the Burnham Brothers clad in black granite under a gold-leaf crown, and legend says the design was meant to echo a dark green champagne bottle with a gold-foil top. It served the Union Carbide corporation, became the Hard Rock Hotel in 2004 and later Pendry Chicago, and was named a Chicago Landmark in 1996.
- 364 rooms
- Opened 2004
- Neighborhood: The Loop
- Rooms from 261 sq ft (24 m²)
About Pendry Chicago
- The 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building at 230 North Michigan Avenue is a 37-story Art Deco landmark designed by the Burnham Brothers.
- It was built as the regional headquarters of the Union Carbide and Carbon Company, and was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1996.
- Local legend holds that its black granite and gold crown echo a green champagne bottle with a gold-foil top.
- It operated as the Hard Rock Hotel from 2004 before becoming Pendry Chicago, and MICHELIN gave it One Key.
- Entry-level rooms start at 261 sq ft (24 m²).
History
The tower that now houses Pendry Chicago was built in 1929 as the regional headquarters of the Union Carbide and Carbon Company, the corporation that had developed the first commercially viable dry-cell battery. The Burnham Brothers — Hubert and Daniel Jr., sons of the great Chicago planner Daniel Burnham — were commissioned to design it, and they delivered one of the most photographically recognizable buildings on Michigan Avenue: 37 stories of polished black granite at street level giving way to dark green terra-cotta cladding and gold leaf at the crown, the whole composition tapering like a vintage Champagne bottle. Whether the bottle silhouette was a pointed joke about Prohibition, which was still in full effect the year the building opened, has been debated ever since, but the effect was undeniable. The lobby greeted visitors with Belgian marble, frosted glass fixtures, and bronze trim; the original function was partly to display the company's electrical products to potential clients.
Construction cost approximately $4.75 million and the building broke ground at a moment of Jazz Age confidence, though the stock market crash of October 1929 came just as the building was being completed, canceling plans for a matching sister structure across the street. The Carbide and Carbon Company occupied its gleaming headquarters through the mid-century, but as the Loop's commercial landscape shifted, the building spent decades underappreciated despite its extraordinary architecture. The city designated it a Chicago Landmark in 1996, finally protecting the tower's status. In 2001 a $106 million restoration began, directed by Lucien Lagrange and Associates, which converted it into the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago; the hotel opened to guests on January 1, 2004. The Hard Rock closed in December 2017, and the building briefly operated as the St. Jane Chicago Hotel before Montage International acquired it in 2020.
Montage reopened it in spring 2021 as Pendry Chicago, the brand's flagship Midwest property, with 364 redesigned guest rooms and 81 suites. The renovation kept the original crown molding, the bronze and marble lobby materials, and the building's characteristic views of the Chicago River and the lakefront. Bar Pendry anchors the ground-floor social life with a work by Chicago-born artist Clarence James; Château Carbide on the twenty-fourth floor opens onto a terrace with panoramic skyline views and an absinthe program that honors the building's European Art Deco lineage. Today the hotel wears its Burnham Brothers history on every surface while operating at the highest level of contemporary luxury, earning Two MICHELIN Keys and recognition as perhaps the city's most architecturally celebrated hotel.
The setting
Pendry Chicago inhabits the 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building at 230 North Michigan Avenue, a 37-story Art Deco landmark designed by the Burnham Brothers — the dark green terracotta facade with gold-leaf accents, evoking a champagne bottle, anchors the Magnificent Mile directly above the Chicago River. Designated a Chicago Landmark in 1996, the building occupies one of the city's most storied commercial intersections. The Chicago Riverwalk is five minutes on foot, Millennium Park six, Cloud Gate eight, and the Art Institute twelve, positioning guests at the convergence of Chicago's architectural heritage and its most celebrated cultural corridor. 18 miles from O'Hare International Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- Château Carbide — Restaurant
Experiences
- Château Carbide rooftop cocktail lounge — City-inspired rooftop cocktail lounge open to guests and locals, with signature cocktails, small bites, weekend DJs and summer skyline views.
- Fitness centre with Technogym equipment — 24-hour fitness centre on lower level L2 with Technogym equipment, Peloton bikes and free weights; Tonal systems in select rooms.
- Taylor Academy Guitar Series Program — Guitar series programme available upon request, based on availability.
- RunGo — Running programme included in the nightly destination fee.
- Pendry X State Bikes — Seasonal bike use available upon request, based on availability.
Amenities
- Complimentary rollaway beds upon request for select guestrooms
- Complimentary cribs upon request
- Valet parking nightly fee $82 + tax
- EV charging stations for a nightly fee
- 24-hour in-room dining
- Pendry X State Bikes (seasonal, upon request)
- Early check-in for a fee based on availability
- Late check-out for a fee based on availability
- Cadillac Transportation (upon request, based on availability)
- Nightly turndown service (upon request, based on availability)
- Shoeshine service
- RunGo
- Morning lobby coffee cart
- Complimentary printing up to 10 pages
- Complimentary local calls
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotels (2022)
Open Pendry Chicago in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More Pendry hotels
- Pendry Manhattan West — New York City, United States · Grand Luxury
- Pendry Baltimore — Baltimore, United States · High Luxury
- Pendry Natirar — Peapack-Gladstone, United States · High Luxury
- Pendry Park City — Park City, United States · High Luxury
- Pendry Tampa — Tampa, United States · High Luxury
- Pendry Washington DC – The Wharf — Washington, D.C., United States · High Luxury
More hotels in Chicago
- Nobu Hotel Chicago — Nobu · High Luxury
- The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel — The Luxury Collection · High Luxury
- The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago — Ritz-Carlton · High Luxury
- The St. Regis Chicago — St. Regis · High Luxury
- Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago — Trump Hotels · High Luxury
- Viceroy Chicago — Viceroy · High Luxury
Pendry in The Maison: the brand's idea, history and every house on the atlas.