In the heart of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, the historic McCormick mansion has shed its skin as a stodgy steakhouse to become something far more ephemeral. Following a $50 million investment by venture capitalist Glen Tullman, the Gilded Age landmark has been reimagined as The Hand & The Eye, a 35,000-square-foot temple of prestidigitation that now stands as the largest magic venue in the world.
The transformation, executed by architecture firm Rockwell Group and design powerhouse Pentagram, replaces the lukewarm prime rib and white tablecloths of the building's previous tenant with a choreographed sequence of wonder. Guests entering the lobby are greeted not by a host, but by sliding wooden doors and ringing telephones—the first cues in a three-hour, no-cameras-allowed journey that moves through intimate parlors and grand theaters. It is a meticulous exercise in adaptive reuse, preserving the mansion’s bones while layering in the technical infrastructure required for world-class illusion.
Tullman’s bet is a significant one in the experience economy. At $225 per ticket, the venue positions magic as a luxury pursuit, stripping away the kitsch often associated with the craft. By banning phones, the space forces a rare, undistracted engagement with the physical world. It is a "100-year venture," according to Tullman—a permanent monument to the analog art of surprise in an increasingly digital age.
With reporting from Fast Company Design.
Source · Fast Company Design
