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| Patricia McHugh |
CHICAGO, IL, Dec. 8, 2022 —
Joining an elite group of successful family-run businesses whose work has
spanned across two centuries, McHugh Construction has
marked its 125-year anniversary by donating $125,000 to a variety of
organizations and installing commemorative window displays of some of its most
iconic projects throughout history at its headquarters at 1737 S. Michigan Ave.
in Chicago’s South Loop.
“We’re incredibly grateful to have played such a
vital role in building Chicago’s world-famous skyline, and we’re thrilled to
give back to the city that has given us so many amazing opportunities,” said Patricia
McHugh, chairman of McHugh Construction and fourth generation leader of the
firm.
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James D. McHugh
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“We
wouldn’t be here today without all the hard work of the generations of men and
women who have labored on McHugh-built iconic structures over the past 125
years.”
In honor of its anniversary, McHugh’s monetary
contributions and employee volunteer efforts benefitted the following
organizations:
HIRE
360, The 100 Club of Illinois, Cole Chabad, ACE Mentor Programs, Refugee One,
SOS Children, March of Dimes, John Buck Company Foundation, The Community
Builders, Chicago Blackhawks Charities and ReVive Center for Housing and
Healing.
Founded by James D. McHugh in 1897, just
four years after the World’s Columbian Exposition, McHugh Construction has
grown from a bricklaying business to one of the largest general contractors in
the Midwest.
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James P. McHugh
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And in
the past few years, the company has seen tremendous growth, entering new
markets such as Nashville and Miami. The founder’s great granddaughter Patricia
McHugh now leads the company as chairman.
McHugh first gained momentum as a general
contractor in the early 21st century. By the late 1930s, McHugh
had completed an ornate theater in Cicero, Ill., and a municipal building in
Berwyn, Ill.
Following World War II, the firm tackled even larger and more
ambitious projects. By the 1960s, the McHugh name had garnered world-wide fame
for its innovative approach to building Marina City, the first urban
high-rise residential complex in the U.S.
James P. McHugh,
grandson of founder James D. McHugh, led the effort to construct
Chicago’s iconic “corncob” towers at Marina City.
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Michael Meagher
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The
complex of two 587-foot, 65-story apartment towers, a 10-story hotel and a
saddle-shaped auditorium building was built on a raised platform along the
Chicago River.
Marina
City was the first building in the country to be constructed with the Linden
climbing tower cranes, which are still used today to build high-rises.
“People used to ask Jim how he could do the
Marina City project,” said Michael Meagher, president of McHugh
Construction.
“At the
time, it was the tallest cast-in-place concrete structure in the world, and he
had this great saying, ‘If we can do seven floors, we can do 60.’ It is that
sort of risk-taking that has been a staple of our company.
"We
have become known as the contractor that can do innovative projects because we
look at challenges fearlessly.”
With that vision, the firm subsequently served
as concrete contractor for Water Tower Place in 1976 and Two
Prudential Plaza in 1988, both of which were also the tallest reinforced
concrete structures in the world when they were built.
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Brett Szabo
|
In all,
McHugh has poured concrete for eight of Chicago’s 10 tallest concrete
buildings.
McHugh’s impact can be felt
everywhere in the contractor’s hometown, whether it be catching a game at the
United Center where the firm was responsible for over a dozen projects
including the massive East Addition, celebrating a night out at the beautiful Gibson’s
Italia, or taking in a show at the Goodman Theatre or Civic Opera House.
McHugh has given new life to landmarked
buildings and restored a majority of Chicago’s hotels, including major
renovation projects for the city’s five-star destinations like the recently
completed Four Seasons Hotel.
In the mid-80s McHugh
constructed Presidential Towers, igniting the area’s transformation into
the neighborhood we now know as the West Loop.
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Presidential Towers, West Loop
Chicago, IL
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McHugh continues to build numerous luxury condominium towers in
the now booming neighborhood, along with McDonald’s Global Headquarters. Some
of the Chicago skyline’s most recent stars – St. Regis Chicago, NEMA and
Aqua at Lakeshore East – have been built by McHugh.
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McHugh headquarters at
1737 S. Michigan Avenue
in Chicago’s South Loop
|
“How cool is it to be part of a company that
positively impacts so many people, not only during the building process but
also for the generations of people who will benefit from the structures and
spaces we build,” said Patricia McHugh.
“Our work has long-lasting benefits for everyone
who lives, works and plays in the city. It’s a privilege to do what we do.”
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At Marina City, the first urban high-rise
residential complex in the U.S.,
McHugh was the first to use
Linden climbing tower cranes,
which are still used today
to build high-rises.
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A lifelong South Side company, McHugh moved its
headquarters in the early 2000s from McCormick Square’s growing campus to a
historic building located on “Motor Row,” where the loyalty of the employees
rivals only that of its neighborhood baseball team.
The longevity of McHugh employees is rarely seen
these days, with many serving the firm for 30-, even 40-plus years.
With more than 350 team members, McHugh
Construction and McHugh Concrete Construction are currently involved in more
than 1 million square feet of active construction work across multiple property
types, including Class A residential towers, affordable housing communities,
luxury hotels, office buildings, entertainment venues, sports complexes and
healthcare facilities.
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McHugh Construction completed
construction of the Navy Pier
Centennial Wheel in 2016 |
In 2019, McHugh Concrete Construction
officially began operating as a separate company under the McHugh Enterprises
umbrella to better focus on clients’ concrete needs.
As one of the first contractors in the world
to use proprietary green concrete for high-rise construction, McHugh
Concrete recently poured a new low-carbon concrete mix on The Reed, a
41-story residential tower in Chicago.
As a result, embodied carbon in the project’s
concrete was reduced by up to 40% relative to baseline mixes. McHugh Concrete
looks forward to driving continuous
innovation and improvement to the efficiency and environmental friendliness of
concrete.
“Early in my career I was at other companies,
and I’d hear ‘that’s how we’ve always done it,’ and I could never accept that,”
said Brett Szabo, president of McHugh Concrete. “If we did that as a
company, we’d fall behind.
"At McHugh Concrete, we’re always improving
and adapting – even if it’s only a fraction of a percentage from day to day –
as that’s what keeps a company going and positioned for the future.”
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McHugh Construction completed
construction of the $1 billion
St. Regis Chicago, the city’s
third-tallest building, in 2021 |
As for the future, the McHugh family of
companies will continue the core values of honesty and integrity as well as its
commitment to diversifying the industry. “Patty‘s father Jim was instrumental
in getting the first minority workers into the ironworkers union, which was a
great moment for progress,” said Meagher.
“We recently cofounded Hire 360,
the newest platform that includes developers, contractors and unions working
together to get more minorities in the trades and help minority businesses
prosper.”
With a 125-year anniversary video currently in
production and scheduled to be released before the end of the year, McHugh’s
leadership team is now looking toward the future and envisioning what the next
125 years will look like for the firm and for Chicago’s skyline.
·
Some of McHugh’s current projects include:
·
the 74-story 1000M on one of the last
undeveloped Michigan Avenue lots across from Grant Park; three residential
towers in the West Loop: the 34-story Cassidy on Canal, 16-story Embry and
28-story 225 Elizabeth;
·
Platform 4611, a nine-story mixed-use apartment
building in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood steps from the Wilson CTA stop; 43
Green, a 10-story equitable transit-oriented, mixed-income, mixed-use project
in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood near the 43rd Street CTA station;
· Howard
Brown Health Clinic, a five-story healthcare facility and medical office
building on Chicago’s North Side; FanDuel Sportsbook, a 13,000-square-foot
sports betting venue at the United Center; the historic renovation of the
Ramova Theater in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood; and FlyOver in Chicago –
an indoor flying ride coming to Chicago’s historic Navy Pier in spring 2024.
CONTACTS:
Paula Widholm, pwidholm@taylorjohnson.com,
(312) 267-4525
Kim Manning, kmanning@taylorjohnson.com,
(312) 267-4527
www.mchughconstruction.com.
to schedule an interview, please contact
Paula
Widholm at (312) 267-4525
or pwidholm@taylorjohnson.com.
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