James McHugh Construction Co

Last updated
James McHugh Construction Co.
Company type Private
IndustryGeneral Contracting
Founded1897
FounderJames D. McHugh
Headquarters,
Key people
Patricia H. McHugh
(Chairman)

Michael J. Meagher
(President)

Number of employees
1,000
Website http://www.mchugh.com

James McHugh Construction Co. is an American construction management and structural engineering firm based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2019, McHugh was the 160th-largest contractor in the United States as tabulated by Engineering News-Record. [1] McHugh is best known for its high-rise work in Chicago, including the St. Regis Chicago, NEMA, Aqua, Water Tower Place, Marina City, and Trump International Hotel and Tower.

Contents

History

McHugh was founded in 1897 by James D. McHugh, an Irish bricklayer from the South Side of Chicago. By the mid-1920s, McHugh had established itself as a general contractor specializing in elaborate masonry work.

During the Great Depression, McHugh continued to grow through projects funded by the Public Works Administration. McHugh began sending crews across the country for heavy construction work, including water treatment systems and transportation tunnels. The postwar era of the 1940s and 1950s saw a resurgence of the market for institutional facilities and public works structures as Chicago struggled to keep pace with its booming population. In response to this demand, McHugh built additions to Cook County Hospital and a residence hall for Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in 1955.

During the 1950s, McHugh continued to centralize and grow in Chicago. Marina City was one of their next large projects. For this project, McHugh pioneered the use of fiberglass concrete forms that are still used for curved concrete construction. The project, the world's tallest reinforced concrete structure at the time, also marked the first use of the climbing crane, which paved the way for speedier, more efficient high-rise construction.

When a change in ownership occurred in the mid-1970s, the McHughs chose to sell a portion of the company to the employees, which predated the employee stock option trend by decades. Employees still own part of the company today.

After the passing of her father in August 2016, the founder's great-granddaughter, Patty McHugh, became chairwoman of the firm. [2]

Expansion

Though many projects are located in the Chicago area today, McHugh was the first American contractor to open an office in Moscow after the revolutions of 1989 and today has projects around the country. Between 1991 and 1999, McHugh had built for local and non-Russian clients including Dialog Bank, ABC News, Boeing Co. and Morgan Stanley. In recent years, in addition to Chicago, the company has also completed several projects around the country in locations including Nashville, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and South Florida.

Notable projects

McHugh has constructed a variety of notable projects, largely concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aon Center (Chicago)</span> Modern supertall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

The Aon Center is a modern super tall skyscraper east of the Chicago Loop, Chicago, Illinois, United States, designed by architect firms Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership, and completed in 1973 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burj Al Arab</span> Luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a ship. It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 West India Quay</span> Building in London, England

1 West India Quay is a landmark 33-storey mixed-use skyscraper situated just north of Canary Wharf business district in east London. Completed in 2004, the development was built by Manhattan Loft Corporation and the now-defunct MWB Group Holdings. The distinctive glass- and aluminium-clad tower was designed by HOK. With its knife-edge profile and elegant curves, 1 West India Quay was one of the first post-tensioned, concrete-framed towers in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Chicago</span>

The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)</span> Mixed-use skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is a skyscraper condo-hotel in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The building, named for Donald Trump, was designed by architect Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Bovis Lend Lease built the 100-story structure, which reaches a height of 1,388 feet (423.2 m) including its spire, its roof topping out at 1,171 feet (357 m). It is next to the main branch of the Chicago River, with a view of the entry to Lake Michigan beyond a series of bridges over the river. The building received publicity when the winner of the first season of The Apprentice reality television show, Bill Rancic, chose to manage the construction of the tower over managing a Rancho Palos Verdes based "Trump National Golf Course & Resort" in the Los Angeles metro area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burj Khalifa</span> Skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest structure. With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, surpassing Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua (skyscraper)</span> Residential skyscraper in downtown Chicago, Illinois

Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use skyscraper in Lakeshore East, downtown Chicago, Illinois. Designed by a team led by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, with James Loewenberg of Loewenberg & Associates as the Architect of Record, it includes five levels of parking below ground. The building's eighty-story, 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) base is topped by a 82,550 sq ft (7,669 m2) terrace with gardens, gazebos, pools, hot tubs, a walking/running track and a fire pit. Each floor covers approximately 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank Tower</span> Skyscraper at 1601 Dodge Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska

The First National Bank Tower is a 45-story office skyscraper located at 1601 Dodge Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States, and the official headquarters of First National Bank of Omaha. At 634 ft (193 m) it is the tallest building in Omaha and the state. It has been since its completion, overtaking the 30-story Woodmen Tower located nearby. Construction began in April 1999 and lasted until 2002, with the building's completion being the subject of ACEC and Emporis awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeddah Tower</span> Skyscraper project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Tower or Burj Jeddah, previously known as Kingdom Tower, is a skyscraper construction project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is planned to be the first 1 km (3,281 ft) tall building and would be the world's tallest building or structure upon completion, standing 180 m (591 ft) taller than the Burj Khalifa. Located in the north side of Jeddah, it is the centrepiece of the Jeddah Economic City project. After almost five years of inactivity, development work on the project resumed in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William F. Baker (engineer)</span> American structural engineer

William Frazier Baker is an American structural engineer known for engineering the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building/man-made structure and a number of other well known buildings. He is currently a structural engineering partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The St. Regis Mexico City</span> Skyscrapers in Mexico City

Freedom Tower is a skyscraper located in front of the Diana Fountain roundabout at Paseo de la Reforma 439, Colonia, Cuauhtémoc, Delegación Cuauhtémoc in Mexico City. Its construction began in November 2004 and completed in January 2008. The tower started operating in June of that same year. The building has a commercial area on the third floor, and a seven-level underground parking garage with a capacity for 2,000 cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilshire Grand Center</span> Skyscraper in Los Angeles, California, United States

Wilshire Grand Center is a 1,100-foot (335.3 m) skyscraper in the financial district of downtown Los Angeles, California, occupying the entire city block between Wilshire Boulevard and 7th, Figueroa, and Francisco streets. Completed in 2017, it is the tallest building west of Chicago. Though the structural top of the Wilshire Grand surpasses L.A.'s U.S. Bank Tower by 82 ft (25 m), the roof of the U.S. Bank Tower is still 90 ft above the Wilshire Grand's. The Skyscraper Center lists the Wilshire Grand Center as the 15th-tallest building in the U.S. and the 95th-tallest in the world. It won the Structural Engineering Award 2019 Award of Excellence from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comcast Technology Center</span> Skyscraper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Comcast Technology Center is a supertall skyscraper in Center City Philadelphia. The 60-floor building, with a height of 1,121 feet (342 m), is the tallest building in the state of Pennsylvania, and is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere outside of Manhattan and Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Regis Chicago</span> Supertall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

The St. Regis Chicago, formerly Wanda Vista Tower, is a 101-story, 1,198 ft (365 m) multi-use supertall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Construction started in August 2016, and was completed in 2020. Upon completion it became the city's third-tallest building at 1,198 ft (365 m), behind the Willis Tower and Trump Hotel and Tower, and surpassing the Aon Center. It is the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman. It forms a part of the Lakeshore East development and overlooks the Chicago River near Lake Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEMA (Chicago)</span> Supertall 76-story residential skyscraper in Chicago

NEMA (Chicago) (also 1210 South Indiana and formerly 113 East Roosevelt or One Grant Park) is a 76-story residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois in the Central Station neighborhood, of the Near South Side. The tower, built by developer Crescent Heights, has 800 apartments and rises 896 feet (273.1 m) making it the city's tallest rental apartment building. NEMA is the tenth-tallest building in Chicago as of 2024 and the forty first-tallest building in the United States. It is the tallest all-rental residential building in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Heights (company)</span> American real estate company

Crescent Heights, Inc, is an American real estate development company based in Miami, Florida, with offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iconic Tower (Egypt)</span> Skyscraper in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt

The Iconic Tower is a supertall skyscraper in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. With a total structural height of almost 400 metres (1,300 ft), it is the tallest building in Africa. It has 77 floors, mostly for office use, and is one of 20 towers being built as part of the central business district in the new capital city. The total area of the tower exceeds 265,000 m2 (2,850,000 sq ft).

References

  1. "ENR 2019 Top 400 Contractors 101-200". Engineering News-Record. May 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  2. "Patty McHugh, James Mchugh Construction Co: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  3. "McHugh Construction Completes Topping Out at Vista Tower in Chicago". www.acppubs.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  4. "McHugh Construction completes 5th-tallest all-residential building in the U.S." Building Design + Construction. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  5. "McHugh Construction Adds to City Skyline with Vista Tower Chicago". www.acppubs.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  6. "Chicago's United Center Opens HOK-Designed Addition for Bulls and Blackhawks". HOK. 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  7. "Blackhawks announce plans for Community Training Center". NHL.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  8. "Advocate Center – Chicago Bulls Training Facility". Greenroofs.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.