Architectural Terra Cotta Highlights Near Completed Restoration of 168 North Michigan

Earlier in September, Oxford Capital Group‘s Hotel Julian, 168 North Michigan, had finally opened its doors to guests. Originally the Atlantic Bank, it has been given new life as a luxury hotel, a fitting renovation of Marshall and Fox’s original 1916 building. Through the course of this restoration, the terra cotta façade has been brought back to its original glory; the interior of the building has been renovated with an additional four stories added to the top floors. The Hotel Julian stands at a total 16-stories high and is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, not too far from Millenium Park.

Reproductions of original masonry units were created by Boston Valley Terra Cotta through our tested Pre-Design process, comprised of an initial site survey to determine reproduction needs and the overall scope of the project. Original masonry was documented using state of the art digital scanning technology. 3d digital models are then used to create laser cut profiles, foam models, and then molds.

The building pieces are then fabricated using a variety of forming methods in the Boston Valley factory including ram press, extrusion, and slip casting. The terra cotta units undergo glaze application and are then fired in the factory kilns. Boston Valley’s Glaze Lab is able to match specific colors through reviewing control samples that were brought in for inspection early in the pre-design process. The final white glaze used on 168 North Michigan was meticulously formulated to match the look and feel of the original building.

Click here to read our previous blogs about the progress of 168 Michigan.