In downtown Chicago, a $50 million magic venue is set to open in a prominent former mansion as some leasing sleight of hand transforms one of the nation's high-profile shopping districts.
The Hand & The Eye, a high-end magic and dining experience, debuts to the public Saturday just steps from North Michigan Avenue in the McCormick Mansion dating to the Gilded Age.
The building at 100 E. Ontario St. was restored for the magic experience, backed by Chicago entrepreneur Glen Tullman. The ornate space, available to private club members and single-session ticket buyers, was designed by the Rockwell Group.
One of the stars is the five-story building that has been vacant since Lawry’s The Prime Rib, a restaurant that had been there for more decades, closed in 2020. The Hand & The Eye signed a lease last year for the entire 35,900-square-foot space owned by Chicago real estate firm Northpond Ventures, which bought it for $7.65 million in 2021.
“We’re investing in Chicago to bring the most unique magic experience in the world to life, and to play a role in reinvigorating the Magnificent Mile” shopping district, Tullman said in a statement.
That initiative appears to be underway already. Ticket-buying guests will begin arriving to The Hand & The Eye at a magical moment for the adjacent shopping corridor that for years has suffered from big store closings, increasing vacancy and falling rents.
With foot traffic already on the upswing, a wave of recent store openings and newly signed leases brings the promise of new, crowd-drawing attractions, including the lushly designed magic venue.
Last week, plans were announced for a first-of-its-kind Candy Hall of Fame Experience, a multilevel, 60,000-square-foot attraction from the National Confectionery Association and the entrepreneur behind concepts such as IT’SUGAR, Dylan’s Candy Bar and FAO Schweetz.
This week, CoStar News reported American Eagle’s plans for a huge space that will house three of its clothing store concepts under one roof, a deal by Levi’s to move to a larger space on the avenue and a potential move by Nike from its longtime flagship space for a reimagined store down the street.
That follows 2025 openings that included another space with a touch of magic, a tourist-drawing Harry Potter-themed store.
The Ontario Street building includes dozens of rooms that double as performance spaces, with the venue promising that no two visits will be the same.
Renovations were led by Chicago native David Rockwell’s New York-based design firm, known for work with restaurants and Broadway sets.
“We wanted to tap into Chicago’s rich history of performance and innovative architecture,” Rockwell said in the statement. “By layering the past and present, our design creates an experience that’s immersive and intimate, bringing people together to share moments of wonder that can only happen in real time.”
Renderings of the project were publicly unveiled last year. The space features an ornate, curved staircase, original thick masonry walls, a glass conservatory with views of Michigan Avenue and many hand-crafted elements.
Rooms include The Monarch, the largest performance area, which pays homage to a 1930s puppet theater once housed in the mansion; the Grand Salon, with its curved staircase; The Coliseum, a 30-seat, gold-toned theater, and The Red Herring, a 10-seat bar described as “the most beautiful room in Chicago.”
“We’re creating a singular experience of wonder, where memories are made and magic is shared,” Tullman said in the statement. “You become a part of the magic.”
Tickets for the opening weekend are $239 per person, which includes a performance and a $75 dining credit toward dinner. The rotating menu is from Chicago-based Levy Restaurants.
Guests are expected to dress up for the occasion, making it more formal than many nearby shops.
“In the early 1900s, an invitation to the McCormick Mansion was something to be coveted,” Bre Smith, executive vice president of The Hand & The Eye, said in the statement. “We're working to bring back that feeling.”