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Bed and Breakfast Planned in West Loop's Old Holography Museum Building

By Stephanie Lulay | November 12, 2015 8:37am | Updated on November 12, 2015 6:52pm
 Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery plan to open The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast in the old Museum of Holography building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop.
Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery plan to open The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast in the old Museum of Holography building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop.
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Shawn Uldridge

WEST LOOP — A West Town couple has plans to rehab the longtime Museum of Holography building near Harpo Studios into a boutique bed and breakfast in the West Loop.

After an extensive renovation, husband-and-wife team Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery plan to open The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast in the 106-year-old building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in early 2017, Shawn Uldridge confirmed. While the spot is known as the longtime home to the Museum of Holography, the new B&B will borrow its name from the Free Methodist Publishing House, which formerly called the building home.

Uldridge is in the process of reviewing construction bids now and expects to start renovations soon. The building, which was in bad shape, will be completely gutted except for some floors and walls, which will be refinished.

"Everything from the basement floor to the roof is getting replaced," Uldridge said. "I think it's going to be a beautiful space."

The "upscale industrial" B&B will include space for a restaurant, 11 rooms and large communal areas for guests, including one with a double-sided fireplace, skylights and "a killer view of Willis Tower," Uldridge said. The average room would rent in the low $200s per night.

A rendering of a third-floor guest room in The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast planned in the old Museum of Holography building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop. [Shawn Uldridge]

A rendering of a second-floor guest room in The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast planned for the old Museum of Holography building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop. [Shawn Uldridge]

There's a real need for a bed and breakfast in the West Loop that could house wedding groups, business associates or traveling families, he said.

"There are so many event spaces in the West Loop that accommodations, by comparison, are really lacking," Uldridge said.

Uldridge is also in the process of finding a tenant to occupy the restaurant in the English basement and first-floor levels, and thinks a modern American or Asian fusion restaurant would be a good fit, he said.

"We've [talked] to a lot of restaurateurs, but I think this is a case of build it and they will come," he said.

Shawn, a native of Australia, and his wife Kimberly, from the Midwest, had been living in Melbourne, Australia, for 5½ years before they decided to move to Chicago in 2014, settling in West Town. With Shawn leaving a career in finance behind, the couple moved to the city specifically to open a bed and breakfast.

"The timing for us was right and we had a fantastic opportunity with this building. We jumped at the opportunity when we got it," he said. "I feel very lucky to be doing this."

A rendering of a common area in The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast planned for the old Museum of Holography building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in the West Loop. [Shawn Uldridge]

Building's holography past

The building at 1134 W. Washington was the Museum of Holography for more than 35 years. But financial problems that made headlines and founder Loren Billings' ailing health closed the museum around 2009.

The collection was in danger of being sold off piecemeal or destroyed until a benefactor stepped forward to save its galleries of wonder in June. The benefactor bought the collection from Hayden Connor, the building's former owner. Because the collection was never moved out of the former museum, Connor became the owner of the collection when he bought the building for $1.6 million in 2012.

Connor sold the the 18,000-square-foot building to Shawn Uldridge for $2.35 million in June 2014, and after leasing the building back to Connor, Uldridge took full possession of the building over the summer.

Moshe Tamssot, a Block X condo resident who led the charge to save the shuttered museum's collection said Shawn Uldridge has worked with volunteers to help save the museum's collection, which was largely still housed in the building.

Now that the holography collection has been removed from the building, Tamssot hopes to keep the collection in the West Loop.

Originally built by the Free Methodist Publishing House, the building was occupied by the church from 1909 to 1935. The building was also formerly a casket factory, Tamssot said.

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