Chicago’s exclusive new club, The Hand & The Eye, is blending magic, high cuisine, and theatrical performance in a renovated 1890s McCormick mansion, charging €214 per person for a three-hour immersive experience aimed at reviving a sense of wonder in the digital age, elpais.com reported. Founded in April by entrepreneur Glen Tullman, the venue represents a unique convergence of artistry and hospitality designed to transport guests into a world of curated surprise.
The Hand & The Eye is not merely a restaurant or theater; it is an ambitious fusion of both, housed within a historic landmark meticulously restored by celebrated architect David Rockwell. Rockwell, known for his work on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and The View in New York, led a €43 million renovation of the McCormick mansion to create 37 distinct spaces, each hosting a unique magic-related performance. After the intimate shows, guests gather for a high-end dinner, making for a three-hour journey from spectacle to sustenance. The experience is intentionally dynamic, with each visit promising a different sequence of events, ensuring a sense of novelty even for repeat patrons.
Bre Smith, the executive vice president of the mansion, articulates the philosophy behind this singular venture. “The Hand & The Eye is a world built around magic, hospitality, and discovery,” she explains. “Magic can happen on a stage, around a table, or right in front of you when you least expect it.” The core of the experience is a deliberate pushback against the pervasive influence of screens. “We ask people to put their phones away, dress for the occasion, and be completely present,” Smith states. “So much of our lives happen through a screen. Here, the idea is the exact opposite: you have to be there. You have to see it with your own eyes.” This strict no-phone policy is a conscious effort to reclaim a sense of mystery. “Adults have become very good at anticipating things. We know what a restaurant will be like before we even arrive. We look at menus online, see photos on Instagram, read reviews. There is very little room for imagination left. We wanted to recover some of that mystery.”
The club’s name is deeply symbolic, Smith notes. “The hand represents the intention and craftsmanship of the artist; the eye, the attention of the observer. Magic only truly exists when those two things meet.” This focus on the tangible, live interaction is a key differentiator in a world of digital content.
Chicago’s Cultural Canvas: Why This City?
The choice of Chicago for such a venture is no accident. The city has a storied, almost intimate, relationship with magic, particularly with close-up and parlor magic styles. “It couldn’t have been created anywhere else,” Smith confesses. “Chicago has an extraordinary relationship with magic, especially with magic of proximity. The Hand & The Eye is—very consciously—connected to that history and to the idea of a new golden age for that type of Chicago-style magic.” This deep cultural roots gives the project an authenticity that a transplant from another city might lack.
The mansion itself carries a legacy of exclusivity. Built in the 1890s, receiving an invitation to an event there in the early 20th century was a mark of high society. Smith and her team have consciously worked to resurrect that aura of anticipation and privilege. “It’s about dressing up, going downtown, and entering someone’s home for an extraordinary night. Chicago is a city that understands hospitality. It has incredible architecture, restaurants, theater, and culture, but it’s also very welcoming. The idea was not to move something created elsewhere here. We wanted to create something that is unequivocally Chicago.”
A Local Magic Club Becomes a Cult Destination
While The Hand & The Eye is a local Chicago establishment, it is a club dedicated to magic that has become a cult destination in the city.
| Key Metrics of The Hand & The Eye | Detail |
|---|---|
| Renovation Cost | €43 million |
| Number of Performance Spaces | 37 |
| Price Per Person | €214 |
| Architect | David Rockwell |
A Blueprint for Future Social Spaces?
The Hand & The Eye operates under a hybrid model. While its three-hour experience is open to the public via reservation, certain areas are exclusively for members. “Members have the opportunity to discover spaces and experiences that are not part of a typical visit,” Smith says. “The library, for example, is a space that can only be accessed by invitation and is generally reserved for members and their guests. There is also a private dining room for members. Even within the mansion itself, you might find a door that only opens because a member has invited you to pass through.” This structure creates a layered experience, offering a taste of the magic to the public while preserving a deeper level of exclusivity for its patrons.
The core challenge, and ultimately the greatest triumph, of The Hand & The Eye was inventing a new model. “We weren’t just building a theater. It wasn’t just a restaurant. We weren’t just restoring a historic mansion. We were creating all of those experiences at the same time, and we had to make it feel completely fluid for the visitor,” Smith details. This required immense logistical finesse. “You do a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes for that precise moment to seem simple and natural for the person experiencing it… and perhaps even impossible.” The result is a meticulously orchestrated environment where the artifice of performance and the reality of hospitality merge into a single, captivating narrative.
The Hand & The Eye is a fascinating case study in the ‘experience economy.’ It demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of modern consumer psychology by creating a space that is both ephemeral and exclusive. This isn’t just dining or entertainment; it’s a curated reality, and that kind of offering has a unique and powerful appeal in global tourism markets.
Dr. Anya Sharma, Cultural Economist and Director of the Global Institute for Experience Design
