Construction has started on the 1901 Project — signaling the transformation of what’s been described as a “sea of parking lots” around the United Center with what officials call the largest private investment on the Near West Side.
The United Center’s owners, the Wirtz and Reinsdorf families, and elected officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the $7 billion privately funded project.
The multiphase project will create an estimated 2,400 construction jobs and thousands of permanent jobs over its lifetime.
Sports reporter Camron Smith of Chicago Sports Network (from left), United Center CEO Terry Savarise, Chicago Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf, Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett (27th) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 1901 Project.
Giacomo Cain/Sun-Times
“Today is not simply about breaking ground on a development project,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “It’s about fulfilling the promise that every neighborhood deserves investment, every family deserves opportunity and no community should ever be left behind — and the promise that communities that have waited for far too long for meaningful investment will not be left behind.”
For years, the United Center has been surrounded by surface parking lots that leaders said are only about half-full on a normal day. More than 55 acres of vacant parking lots will become a mixed-use district, with restaurants, retail, entertainment and community space, 1,309 total hotel rooms, as well as residences — including 1,900 affordable units.
Phase one will be anchored by a 6,000-seat music hall that will annually host 150 events. There also will be a 180-key hotel, retail space and two parking garages, with rooftop green space. Infrastructure improvements, such as bike lanes and enhanced pedestrian walkways, also are planned.
Despite its size, the project’s timeline has moved relatively fast compared to other sports-centered projects in Chicago. United Center’s leaders unveiled the 1901 Project in July 2024, and in February 2025, it was unanimously approved by the City Council. In May, the council approved a $54.7 million property tax break for the project’s first phase.
Under Cook County’s Class 7b special assessment, the project’s property tax rate for phase one will be 10% for the first 10 years, 15% for year 11 then 20% for year 12.
The 1901 Project’s first phase is valued at $500 million. Projects must be valued at $2 million or more to be eligible for Class 7b incentives.
Johnson has defended the United Center subsidy, and is a strong supporter of the project. He said Wednesday the 1901 Project’s emphasis on arts, culture and community will help the site become an economic engine for the city — and nearby residents.
“This is an investment that will create jobs and housing, attract new businesses, generate economic activity and help ensure that the benefits of growth reach the residents and families who call the West Side home,” he said.
Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright said it’s an “inclusionary approach” to development. United Center’s owners have emphasized hiring locally for construction jobs. The nonprofit 1901 Community Implementation Committee was created to bring community members into the fold and give them the skills needed to eventually become subcontractors on the project.
One of the community leaders working in coordination on the project was Jerry Lewis, executive director of the 1901 Community Implementation Committee. Lewis, 67, of Matteson, was killed in an apparent assassination attempt in March outside of the nonprofit’s office at 2127 W. Madison St., near the United Center.
Ald. Walter R. Burnett (27th) said Lewis deserves recognition for the role he played in helping to shape the community and the 1901 Project.
“Jerry believed deeply in the power of community,” Burnett said. “He believed that the development should create opportunity for those who already live here. His passing was a tremendous loss, but his vision and his values are embedded in this project, and his legacy will live on in what we create here together.”
The master plan for the land around the United Center emerged after five years of planning, Terry Savarise, United Center’s executive vice president and CEO, previously said. It was stewarded by White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and the late Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, who died in 2023.
Some pieces of the plan, including a new Pink Line L station, are still coming together. Boatright said a Pink Line station on Paulina Street is “closer to a reality,” as conversations between the project team and city progress.
Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said the energy inside the United Center is “unlike anything we see in the city,” but it has been confined inside the arena’s walls. The 1901 Project will remove that vacuum and bring more energy and investment to the West Side, he said.
“This project is … a commitment to the people who’ve been here all along. That energy and investment flowing into this campus now flows through the neighborhood and not just around it,” Wirtz said. “We are building with this community and not just near it.”