Rockwell Group Reimagines a Chicago Mansion as a Home for Modern Magic 

Steps from Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, a historic Gilded Age residence is being transformed into a first-class destination devoted to the power of illusion. Billed as the world’s most dazzling magic experience, The Hand & The Eye has unveiled initial images of its forthcoming redesign by Rockwell Group in the storied McCormick Mansion. The firm’s founder, Chicago native and magic enthusiast David Rockwell, drew on the building’s intriguing past—a casino in the 1930s, the Kungsholm Grand Opera Puppet Theatre in the ‘40s, and the beloved Lawry’s restaurant for nearly four decades—to conjure an environment of wonder and old-world grandeur. 

Made possible by a $50 million investment by healthcare entrepreneur Glen Tullman, the five-story, 36,000-square-foot venue will feature seven performance spaces along with drawing rooms, parlors, and lounges that encourage guests to explore the unexpected. Rockwell approached the commission as a whimsical convergence of his Chicago roots, lifelong fascination with magic, and experience devising sets for Tony Award–winning Broadway productions. “We wanted this to feel like a love letter to the city: rooted in its history but alive with discovery, something only Chicago could inspire,” he tells Galerie, referencing the Windy City’s legacy of close-up magic traditions made famous by the likes of 20th-century showman Matt Schulien.  

Many of the building’s original features were preserved, including the gas lamps at the entrance, the ornate plaster staircase, and masonry walls outlining the mansion’s skeleton. Rockwell Group conceived each space with its own identity, from a members’ dining room with a custom mural, reflective ceiling, and grand piano to a rooftop lounge mirroring a starry sky. Embroidered textiles, gilded lighting, bespoke furnishings, and artisanal millwork lend theaters and concealed chambers otherworldly panache. As do an abundance of secret passageways, where visitors encounter magicians in intimate, personalized settings tailored to arouse awe. Rare 19th-century artifacts sourced from collectors appear throughout.  

“Magic thrives on anticipation and the unexpected, so we approached the architecture almost like designing a series of illusions,” Rockwell explains. “From the moment guests approach the facade, they should sense that there’s more than meets the eye. Inside, portraits open to reveal hidden passages, staircases have historic carvings that guests might not discover until they ascend, and theaters unfold in different moods and scales. The choreography of movement was as important as designing the rooms—no two guests will have the same journey.” 

Rockwell’s childhood in Mexico shaped the project’s narrative sensibility and spatial sequence. “I gained an appreciation for how performance can transform the everyday into something magical,” he says. “In Guadalajara, people lived much of their lives out in the streets and plazas in a collaborative way.” Color and light shift throughout the building, reinforcing the idea that the environment is part of the magic act. Some pathways are grand and others hidden, with a discreet entrance reserved for members.  

Making the building function as a living stage required close collaboration with magicians. Jeff Kaylor, EVP of Magic at The Hand & The Eye, worked with Rockwell from the outset to ensure the design supports proximity and detail across scales. “Every room, passage, and detail has been conceived to heighten what close-up magic does best: create wonder in proximity,” he says. “It allows for multiple intimate performance spaces, but the entire building becomes a stage.” He sees a purpose-built home as the catalyst the art form needs to evolve. “When performers step into environments designed to honor their craft, they take risks, think deeper, and create at a higher level,” he says. “That kind of setting pushes the entire field forward.”