Glass is being installed along the Chicago River on the east façade of Bally’s Casino. There may well be some over on the west side of the building as well, but with the Chicago Avenue Bridge closed, we didn’t make it over to that side of the project. But we did get a good look at the north end of the building from the Halsted Pointe construction site, and can confirm there had been no glass installed there yet as of June 6, when all of the photos in this gallery were taken.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The barge in the foreground is working on the Chicago Avenue Bridge. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The north end of the casino building. Photo by Daniel Schell
As for the hotel tower, that too is topped out, and glass progress is quickly approaching the highest levels. The casino glass has crept south to cover some of the first floor at the base of the hotel too.
Glass on the base of the hotel tower. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
See-through upper floors from the West Loop. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
While it certainly appears as though exterior completion is possible by the original Opening Day deadline by the end of the year, getting the interiors done, especially for a development as complex and involved as a casino and 500 hotel rooms, is another matter. Bally’s has pushed their expected opening back to 2027, but they’re hoping for earlier in the year as opposed to later.
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No glass on the west side yet. The sidewalk is open to Jerk Jamaican Barbecue on the corner of Halsted and Chicago. Great viewing of that side and the viaduct construction.
Am I wrong to say the glass looks cheapish?
Not wrong.
Not just the glass, but the pre-cast cladding for the casino/parking structure is beyond banal. The detailing, material selection and quality level for the entire project appears to have been VE’d to death.
Cant wait to have a beautiful view of the Chicago river while I sit a whole bank account down at a blackjack table.
Despite all that glass, it has a bunker-like appearance. They do not want to give the impression that you can just walk in, that it’s part of a larger entertainment district. They want us to see it as a singular destination. I’m not a gambler but it looks unappealing to me.
I don’t know about you, but I never had high architectural hopes for a casino. Seriously, we’re lucky it’s not windowless warehouse in some remote corner of the city that’s only accessible by a single toll road, also owned by Bally’s.