At the University of Chicago, the David Rubenstein Forum has opened on 60th Street, a striking 12-story, zinc-clad meeting venue welcoming corporate and nonprofit groups.
The $100 million Forum is being managed by Benchmark Global Hospitality and has approximately 70,000 square feet of usable interior space. The contemporary, light-filled meeting rooms include the top-floor City View Room; Friedman Hall, with fixed seating for 284 people; and the Peter May Boardroom (below) for up to 70 people. The largest space is the divisible 6,454-square-foot University Room, which has a 1,700-square-foot prefunction area.
The day-meeting facility’s built-in audiovisual equipment and broadcast-ready fiber-optic cable connectivity simplify live broadcasting for virtual or hybrid meetings. Other standard meeting-room features include sound-absorbing walls that eliminate reverb, wall- and ceiling-mounted loudspeakers, and two FM channels that can be used for assistive listening.
A wine bar and café called BarDavid is scheduled to open later this month serving breakfast, lunch, and an after-hours tapas menu. Catering services and a conference-dining area that can seat up to 100 are available for groups.
