theWit Chicago

Wit makes its own welcome, and levels all distinctions. No dignity, no learning, no force of character, can make any stand against good wit. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Does lightening ever strike the same place twice? With a bold, neon yellow glass bolt stretching 27 floors into the sky on the facade of its new building at the corner of State and Lake Streets, theWit Hotel (201 N. State St.) answers the question with a resounding “yes.”

Located just a few blocks north of what (in the early 20th century) was the busiest intersection in the world, theWit joins the rebirth of State Street at an explosive moment. New retail stores, residential towers and attractions abound nearby, and theatergoers flock to the surrounding district to take in shows on some of Chicago’s most famous stages: the Goodman, the Harris, the Ford Oriental, the Cadillac Palace, the Bank of America Theater, and, of course, theWit’s next-door neighbor, the iconic Chicago Theatre.

The developer of theWit, Scott Greenberg president of the ECD Company, took full advantage of the neighborhood’s rich cultural street cred when laying the groundwork for his hotel concept. Forget staid, stuffy and stiff: Starting with its playful name, theWit is a contemporary hotel with personality, its impishly chic sense of humor in evidence at every turn. The hotel’s forward-thinking structure was designed by breakout Chicago architect Jackie Koo, with interiors by Cheryl Rowley (the mastermind behind Kimpton Hotels’ distin