A new Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center by Hilton is set to open in downtown Skokie, after Chicago-based E&M Strategic Development completed construction and topped out the project. The hotel, which is expected to be a major draw for business and leisure travelers, will have 143 rooms, 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, 5,000 square feet of outdoor meeting space, a rooftop bar, and 13,000 square feet of ground-level retail.
Homewood Suites by Hilton. Photo by Jack Crawford
Homewood Suites by Hilton. Photo by Jack Crawford. Photo by Jack Crawford
4930 Oakton Street. Rendering by OKW Architects
The site of the new hotel is at 4930 Oakton Street, which was formerly the location of Sanford Brown College. E&M Strategic Development acquired the site and received clearance to proceed with the development. The project also includes a $9.5 million parking garage, which will be built at 8031 Niles Avenue and house 100 public spaces and 200 hotel guest / employee spaces. OKW Architects, meanwhile, is behind the design, bringing a mix of varied masonry streetwall palette to Skokie’s growing downtown.
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
The total cost of the project was initially estimated to be $55 million, but due to inflation, it is expected to exceed $60 million. The village has agreed to contribute up to $13.5 million in tax increment financing (TIF) to the project. According to an article by The Real Deal, the hotel is expected to attract around 47,000 guests annually, generating 65 to 80 jobs and $12.5 million in revenue for Skokie.
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center. Photo by Jack Crawford
Closest transit includes Route 97 and 210, at the adjacent Oakton & Niles Avenue intersection, and the Yellow Line subway just a five-minute walk east. With Russell Construction as general and construction now fully topped out, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel and Conference Center is on track to open this year.
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I don’t know what you folks are smokin’, but activity at this site ground to a halt in March — probably just a few days after your story was posted — and has not resumed as of July 3. All of the developer’s and contractor’s signage was removed two months ago. Skokie’s Village Board agreed to a $4.5million loan in April, to get the project jump-started again, but apparently that wasn’t enough. You need to publish a more accurate, updated story on this disappointing construction project.
It’s a pity that the development in the center of Skokie was abandoned. They only disfigured the downtown .
Who is working on this problem?
In general, what is the budget to finish some kind of building?
I don’t expect to hear about a time line, but really, who, what, why and how Q&A would be nice to read.
Yo, Chicago YIMBY, your article states E&M Strategy Development “completed” the structure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Work was suspended in March 2023 and as of October 29, 2024, the completely exposed steel skeleton will soon go through its second Chicago winter. Hard to tell if there was a “topping off” ceremony or celebration, because construction simply stopped one day. Then a week later the cranes and heavy machinery disappeared; a month or so after that all the signage was taken down. Everything and everybody just crept away under the cover of night, leaving downtown Skokie with a six story EYESORE. Suggest you get a real reporter on this story, who will write and publish facts, not fantasy.