Bally's begins demolition of former Chicago Tribune printing facility

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Demolition began along the Chicago River at Grand Avenue on Tuesday, as Bally’s got to work on turning the former Chicago Tribune printing facility into the company’s permanent casino complex.

An excavator brought down part of a concrete awning over the old building’s loading dock, as the Bally’s team blasted Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” The company’s Chairman, Soo Kim, described what’s to come as a “massive undertaking.”

“I think what we have planned for you is just fantastic, and it’s going to make everyone proud,” Kim said.

Local Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), who grew up in the Cabrini-Green nearby, said local residents will be employed here — or else.

“So I have billions of dollars of development that’s proposed in my ward that’s waiting on me to say, ‘OK,’” he said. “If my folks don’t eat, nobody eats.”

The casino is expected to be operating in about two years.

Plans for the development include a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, restaurants, a park and more.

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