James McHugh Construction Co
James McHugh Construction Co. is a privately owned company, and one of the largest construction managers and general contractors in the U.S. McHugh is known for constructing some of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks and one-of-a-kind structures including Marina City, Water Tower Place and part of the Trump Tower, all of which were the world's tallest reinforced concrete structures at the time.
History
Founded in 1897 by James D. McHugh, an Irish bricklayer from Chicago's south side, McHugh Construction originally specialized in masonry work.By the mid-1920s, James McHugh Construction Co. had established itself as a general contractor specializing in elaborate masonry work. During the Great Depression, McHugh continued to grow through projects funded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. From approximately 1930 on, McHugh Construction began sending crews across the country for heavy construction work, including water treatment systems and transportation tunnels. The postwar era of the 1940s and 1950s saw a rebirth of the market for vast institutional facilities and public works structures as Chicago struggled to keep pace with its booming population. To accommodate the growing need for health-care facilities, McHugh built additions to Cook County Hospital and a residence hall for Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in 1955.
In the late 1950s, McHugh continued to centralize and grow in Chicago. Marina City was one of their next large projects. Designed by the architect Bertrand Goldberg, Marina City consists of two corn-cob-shaped towers that have since become one of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks. For this project, McHugh pioneered the use of fiberglass concrete forms that are still used for high-design curved concrete construction. Other than being the world's tallest concrete structure at the time, this project also marked the first use of the climbing crane, which paved the way for speedier, more efficient high-rise construction.
When a change in ownership occurred in the mid-1970s, the McHughs chose to sell a portion of the company to the employees, which predated the employee stock option trend by decades. Employees still own part of the company today.
After the passing of her father in August 2016, the founder's great grand daughter, Patty McHugh, became chairwoman of the firm.
Expansion
Though many projects are located in the Chicago area today, McHugh was the first American contractor to open an office in Moscow after the fall of Communism and today has projects around the country. Between 1991 and 1999, McHugh had built for local and non-Russian clients including Dialog Bank, ABC News, Boeing Co. and Morgan Stanley. In recent years, in addition to Chicago, the company added an office in Nashville and has built projects in Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Tennessee, Louisiana, California, Texas among other locations.Notable Projects
Some additional notable structures that McHugh has constructed in Chicago's cityscape include:- Goodman Theatre - A theatre project that included new construction and renovation into an 850-seat Albert Ivar Goodman theatre and the 400-seat Owen Bruner Goodman theatre.
- Civic Opera House Renovation - Partnered with Mesirow Stein Real Estate, McHugh Renovated this historic theatre including lobby and auditorium upgrades, installing new MEP systems and backstage rigging and scenery-handling equipment.
- McCormick Place Expansion - The, $250 million exhibition hall covers two levels and is constructed over four active commuter rail lines and two freight lines.
- Park Tower - Designed by Lucien Lagrange, Park Tower is a 67 story high rise multiuse structure that houses the Park Hyatt Hotel as well as of luxury condominium space. McHugh installed Chicago's first massed tuned damper in the structure to minimize the building sway caused by high winds.
- Chicago Board of Trade - A addition to the CBOT that includes the world's largest trading floor. McHugh developed the unusual structural table design – four concrete cores at each corner of the building topped by structural steel trusses – which provide a column-free trading floor.
- Arlington Park - Designed by SOM, built in 21 months, this project included of site work.
- Trump Tower - Designed by Adrian Smith of SOM, Trump Tower is the world's tallest concrete structure, a 92 story tower consisting of that will rise to topped with a spire bringing its total height to. It contains about 472 residential condominiums, a 286 unit condominium hotel, 1000 space parking garage, and retail space. McHugh has the task of pouring the concrete structure and will pour more than of concrete in just under three years.
- Battle Stations 21 - A long reduced scale replica of a portion of a ship, floating in water, within a building. This structure includes layer upon layer of the latest technology to create a realistic battle experience.
- Aqua - The design of the 82-story, mixed-use tower has received international attention for the undulating waves of concrete that will make up the balconies. Its exterior features a rippling effect that architect Jeanne Gang says mirrors the striated limestone outcroppings and formations that can be seen throughout the Great Lakes.
- The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - A facility and the first new museum built in Chicago's parks in more than 60 years.
- Virgin Hotels Chicago - Formerly the Old Dearborn Bank Building or 203 North Wabash Avenue, the Virgin Hotel was converted from a historic office building in the Loop to a 250-room, 27-story boutique hotel.
- Advocate Center - The 60,000 square foot training facility for the Chicago Bulls basketball team situated just east of the United Center where the Bulls play. The facility features two full-size basketball courts, expansive locker room will a therapeutic hydro-room, coaches’ offices, weight room, media room, and players’ lounge on the first level. The second floor contains Bulls’ executive offices, a cardio room, and a green roof with patio area. The playing surface in the court is the most advanced wood flooring system currently produced.
- Renaissance Blackstone Hotel - The massive renovation of the Blackstone, built in 1910, involved McHugh gutting the hotel to its skeleton save for the historic areas which were restored, and was performed in 22 months.
- Stickney Sludge Facility - Located in Stickney, Illinois, McHugh constructed a new gravity thickening building, a 100,000 square foot cast-in-place and precast concrete structure that houses eight tanks-each 80 feet in diameter which are used to thicken sludge during the wastewater treatment process for this $160 million improvement project.
- Wacker Drive - $135 million reconstruction of the viaduct from Randolph Blvd. on the north to Van Buren Blvd. on the south.
- North Avenue Bridge - McHugh constructed the new hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge over the Chicago River at North Avenue. A temporary span was erected and placed in just one day, before removing the 1907 bascule bridge whose two lanes could no longer handle the crush of modern traffic.
- Salem Baptist Church - A 10,000-seat, 205,000-square-foot facility composed of structural steel and precast concrete, with a precast concrete exterior. Super-long 220-foot joists in the roof ensure obstruction-free sight lines in the 7,000-seat seating bowl.