Chicago – Formerly an elite athletics club for men, the Chicago Athletic Association has been reborn as a hotel with sport at its heart.
The club, restored by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, has retained many elements of Henry Ives Cobb’s original Venetian gothic design, including its striking façade and oak bas-reliefs.
The interior plays on the site’s heritage, with stretching racks and pommel horses repurposed into armoires, desks and fittings that feature in the hotel’s 241 guest rooms. Designed by Roman and Williams, the masculine use of wood and leather is offset by softer details, such as vintage rugs and brass beds.
The Big Picture: Consumer fascination with Body Temples is manifesting itself in architecture that borrows from the world of sport. Find out more about the return of a retro sports aesthetic in our Re-valorised Sport microtrend.