James McHugh Construction Co

James McHugh Construction Co.
Private
Industry Construction Management, General Contracting
Founded 1897
Founder James D. McHugh
Headquarters Chicago, USA
Key people
James P. McHugh (Chairman)
Bruce Lake(President)
Revenue US$514 million(2007)
Number of employees
1,000
Website www.mchughconstuction.com

James McHugh Construction Co. is a privately owned company, and one of the largest construction managers and general contractors in the U.S. McHugh is known for constructing some of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks and one-of-a-kind structures including Marina City, Water Tower Place and Trump Tower, all of which were the world's tallest reinforced concrete structures at the time.

History

Founded in 1897 by James D. McHugh, an Irish bricklayer from Chicago's south side, McHugh Construction originally specialized in masonry work.

By the mid-1920s, James McHugh Construction Co. had established itself as a general contractor specializing in elaborate masonry work. During the Great Depression, McHugh continued to grow through projects funded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. From approximately 1930 on, McHugh Construction began sending crews across the country for heavy construction work, including water treatment systems and transportation tunnels. The postwar era of the 1940s and 1950s saw a rebirth of the market for vast institutional facilities and public works structures as Chicago struggled to keep pace with its booming population. To accommodate the growing need for health-care facilities, McHugh built additions to Cook County Hospital and a residence hall for Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in 1955.

In the late 1950s, McHugh continued to centralize and grow in Chicago. Marina City was one of their next large projects. Designed by the architect Bertrand Goldberg, Marina City consists of two corn-cob-shaped towers that have since become one of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks. For this project, McHugh pioneered the use of fiberglass concrete forms that are still used for high-design curved concrete construction. Other than being the world's tallest concrete structure at the time, this project also marked the first use of the climbing crane, which paved the way for speedier, more efficient high-rise construction.

When a change in ownership occurred in the mid-1970s, the McHughs chose to sell a portion of the company to the employees, which predated the employee stock option trend by decades. Employees still own part of the company today.

Today, the founder's grandson, James P. McHugh serves as chairman of the firm and Bruce Lake is the company's current president. Lake was appointed this position in 1997, becoming the first non-family member in 100 years to lead the company.

Expansion

Though most projects are located in the Chicago area today, McHugh was the first American contractor to open an office in Moscow after the fall of Communism. Between 1991 and 1999, McHugh had built for local and non-Russian clients including Dialog Bank, ABC News, Boeing Co. and Morgan Stanley.

Notable Projects

Some additional notable structures that McHugh has constructed in Chicago's cityscape include:


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