Posted 6 years ago in Restaurants and Dining, Eat & Drink
2 MIN READ - This fall, a two-story, 30,000-square-foot food hall is coming to the Loop.
DMK Restaurants, in partnership with John Buck Co., are opening Hayden Hall at 333 S. Wabash Ave. in the former headquarters of CNA Financial. The iconic red skyscraper is currently being redeveloped by John Buck Co.
The hall is named for 19th-century architect Sophia Hayden, who designed the Women’s Building for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and is being designed by Karen Herold of Studio K Creative. It will be one of Chicago’s largest food halls, featuring more than a dozen vendors that have not yet been announced.
The food hall will offer pick-up, delivery, and even full-service, sit-down dining. All three meals will be served, plus after-work drinks. The space will be available for meetings and private events, and programming like cooking classes will also be available to patrons.
Hayden Hall, and the larger redevelopment of the office building, is evidence of a transforming Wabash Avenue. Chicago Loop Alliance completed a strategic plan for the street in 2013, and since then, Wabash has become a safer and more vibrant destination with street cafes, pedestrian bump-outs, and seating for the public.
"Wabash continues to rise; just a few years ago, there were just a couple sidewalk café seats, but after the CLA Sidewalk Café Program, there are now over 200 seats," said David Broz, principal at Gensler and Vice President of the Chicago Loop Alliance Board of Directors. "This new food court at 333 S. Wabash continues to elevate the food game on the street."
Other partners have also contributed to the transformation of Wabash, with everything from the 1-year-old Washington and Wabash CTA station, to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events’ public art projects, to Wabash Lights, a project that will bring an interactive art installation utilizing light and technology to the L tracks themselves.
