Morningline LeadsGet a free sampleFree sample
Chicago, IL

The United Center's New 6,000-Seat Music Hall Gets Its Full Building Permit

Chicago, Illinois issued a $177.3 million building permit on Oct. 28 for the 6,000-seat music hall at 1904 W. Adams St., the first building of the Bulls and Blackhawks owners' $7 billion 1901 Project.

By Morningline Research · November 2, 2026

Chicago issued the full building permit on Oct. 28 for the 6,000-seat music hall going up next to the United Center, at 1904 W. Adams St. The permit carries a reported value of $177.3 million.

The hall is the centerpiece of the first phase of the 1901 Project. That's the $7 billion plan by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks, to build on the parking lots around their arena on the Near West Side.

Five months, three permits

Timeline of the permits and milestones for the 1901 Project music hall at 1904 W. Adams St.
Graphic: Morningline Research, from city building permit records and the reporting linked in this story.

The city's records show the hall coming out of the ground in steps. On June 2 the city issued a caissons-only permit, reported at $2.7 million. The next day, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined Bulls President Michael Reinsdorf and Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz at the groundbreaking, ABC7 Chicago reported.

Get today’s Chicago report for your trade, free →

A $5 million permit for shallow foundations and the superstructure followed on July 21. Urbanize Chicago reported that one a week later.

The Oct. 28 permit is the big one. It covers the whole building "as per plans," with mechanical, electrical, plumbing and masonry permits issued the same day under the same number.

The $177.3 million is the value reported on the permit, an estimate filed with the city, not a contract price. It's the first dollar figure we've seen for the hall by itself. Earlier coverage gave costs only for the whole first phase.

What the permit describes

The permits call for a two-story building with a mezzanine and no basement. Besides the "6,000 seat music venue," the earlier permits list storage, commercial loading, retail and community space. The building "will have an occupied roof," and it's not considered a high-rise.

That reads a little differently from the way the owners describe the room. They say it will have "three levels of viewing," REBusinessOnline reported when renderings came out in September. We couldn't confirm how the permit's floors and the owners' viewing levels line up.

The hall can scale from 2,500 to 6,000 people, Pollstar reported. "We aren't trying to build a smaller arena," Wirtz told the concert trade magazine. The owners expect about 150 events a year, Chicago YIMBY reported.

From parking lots to a neighborhood

The Madison Street facade of the United Center in Chicago
The facade of the United Center in Chicago, September 2015. Photo: Alacoolwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

The City Council approved the full 1901 Project in February 2025, a 15-year plan covering 55 acres with housing, offices, retail, a hotel, open space and a public plaza, ENR reported. Reinsdorf called the vote "a historic moment for the West Side," Fox 32 reported. The plan sets aside 20% of its homes as affordable.

The first phase covers 12.3 acres and about $500 million in work, according to Chicago YIMBY, which cited the city. It has three buildings: the music hall at Damen Avenue and Adams Street, a hotel along Adams with retail and parking, and a west garage topped with a rooftop park. Reports differ on the hotel's size. Urbanize puts it at 233 keys, Chicago YIMBY at 180 rooms and Pollstar at 187 keys.

In May the City Council approved a property tax incentive for the first phase worth an estimated $54.7 million over 12 years, Urbanize reported. Over the same 12 years, the incentive is projected to bring in $46.3 million more in property taxes than the site pays today, according to the same report.

What's next

With foundations already permitted, the October permit and its trade permits cover the rest of the building. The owners are aiming to open it in 2028, along with the rest of the first phase. They're also pushing for a CTA Pink Line station near the arena by 2034, Chicago YIMBY reported.

How we count

Permits come from the City of Chicago's building permit records for 1904 W. Adams St., issued June 2, July 21 and Oct. 28, 2026. Trade permits share a number with their building permit and aren't counted separately. Values are the valuations reported on the permits, not contract amounts, and we haven't added them together. Company and project names come from the news coverage linked here.

See all of Chicago's latest permit numbers, updated weekly.

Want to wake up knowing what’s being built near you?

Tell us what you do and where, and we’ll send you a free sample report.

Your report comes from dave@morninglineleads.com, so please check your spam or junk folder if you don’t see it. Free, no card, no obligation. We work with one company per trade in each area, so if yours is taken, we’ll let you know.

Sources

More from Morningline Research

More numbers: Chicago, IL building permit activity, updated weekly.