22-Mar-16 – A 183-year-old cow path will lead to a new rooftop bar opening in the Loop in May.

The bar, called Aire, will open on May 11 on top of 100 West Monroe, an art deco building completed in 1927. It was renovated last year for the 257-room Hyatt Centric – the first Hyatt Centric anywhere in the world – which opened on April 23, 2015.

The 22-story building is on land once owned by Willard Jones, a farmer. When he moved to Chicago in 1833, Jones purchased a 90-foot-wide parcel of land, in what today is the Chicago Loop, for $200. Eleven years later, he downsized, selling the land but including in the sales deed an easement for a ten-foot-wide strip through which his cows would get to pasture.

(Left) On November 26, 1932, a cow named “Northwood Susan the Sixth” is milked upon arrival via a path, the opening of which is seen in background at right.

The easement was ruled legally binding in 1925 by the Illinois Supreme Court. When 100 West Monroe (right) was built, architect Fred Chase included an 18-foot-high tunnel through the western edge to accommodate farm animals and hay wagons. When the hotel was built, it not only preserved the former cow path but named one of its conference rooms for Willard Jones.

Aire had a brief “soft opening” last year and will host a private event on May 10. A spokesperson for the hotel expects the cow path to the bar to be open in July.

The rooftop bar, with open fireplaces and umbrellas, will feature hand-crafted cocktails, small gourmet dishes, “and the most amazing panoramic views of the city,” says the hotel. The space will also be used for classes, art exhibits, and other events.

(Above) Another seating area in northwest corner of rooftop.

The hotel is owned by Integrated Clark Monroe, an affiliate of Chicago-based Murphy Capital Management, LLC. It is managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Hyatt Hotels Corporation is headquartered in Chicago.