The ESTATE Ultra Bar in Chicago, which opened over leap day this year, has undergone a $3 million dollar renovation of the previous space – which was literally falling into the river when acquired. After spending $1.4 million to rebuild the river side structure, whose foundation was sinking into the river, ESTATE put an additional $1.7 million into the space to make it what it is today – Chicago’s newest sleek lounge/restaurant that boasts Chicago’s largest rooftop, and river side skyline views.
The ESATE team tapped D+K Architects to carry out the construction, rebuild the structure including the ceiling where 10 ton hydraulic jacks held the existing ceiling up as the new structure was put in. Additionally brand new plumbing and electrical had to be installed. Before we even go to that point, days were spent demo’ing and removing 24 dumpsters worth of the old venue. This is all before even getting to the design and aesthetics of ESTATE.
The design concept was based off trips to the West Coast the owners had taken a few years ago. After seeing the success of venues in LA such as MyHouse, Playhouse, Villa and Green Door, they knew Chicago needed something similar. They liked the idea of guests feeling at home – with this information and the layout of the building, D+K was able to come up with a design with several rooms, mimicking a house, or an estate in our case. Each room has its own name and theme, with decor to match -The Atrium, Front Room, Living Room, Dining Room and Trophy Room. The exterior spaces are the Terrace, Boat Dock, Gazebo, and Sky Deck.
