WEST LOOP — A new boutique bed and breakfast opening this summer near the new McDonald's Headquarters has landed two new tenants — a wine bar and a salon.
After an extensive renovation, husband-and-wife team Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery will open The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast in a century-year-old building at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. in June. Construction has begun at the site.
While the West Loop building is known to many as the old Museum of Holography, the new B&B borrows its name from the Free Methodist Publishing House, which formerly called the building home.
In addition to the 11-room B&B, The Press Room wine bar will open in the building's basement and the West Loop's Solo Salon will open a second location on the building's first floor.
The "upscale industrial" B&B will also feature large communal areas for guests, including a media room, double-sided fireplace, skylights and "a killer view of Willis Tower," Uldridge said. The unique suites outfitted with vintage treasures range in size from 250 to 450 square feet and rooms rates range from $179 to $309 per night.
"I think we're going to be really well suited for weddings and corporate clients" who are interested in booking the entire bed and breakfast, said Uldridge, an Australian native.
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]
Solo Salon's new location on the first floor will cater to large groups, providing a one-stop shop for wedding parties, bachelorette parties and more. In addition to hair and makeup, the salon will also offer nails and waxing on site, said Perry Fish, events coordinator at the salon.
"We're really excited about being able to accommodate larger groups," Fish said. "Weddings have naturally been a big part of our business at Solo."
Downstairs, The Press Room wine bar will also open in June, said proprietor George Saldez. The 70-seat wine bar modeled after the great wine bars of Europe will serve up small plates with space for tastings and private events, said Saldez, who is also Australian.
Kimberly Lowery and Shawn Uldridge are opening The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast at 1134 W. Washington Blvd. this summer. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
Building's holography history
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 2015. 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 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 West Loop resident and founder of True West Loop worked with volunteers, Uldridge and Lowery in 2014 and 2015 to save the shuttered museum's collection, which was largely still housed in the building.
Working with Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), West Loop Community Organization executive director Carla Agostinelli, and other neighborhood groups, Tamssot still aims to find a permanent home for the Museum of Holography collection in the West Loop, he said Monday.
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.
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]
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]
