(Black PR Wire) UJAMAA Construction was proud to join our joint venture partner McHugh Construction, the United Center, project partners, civic leaders, and community stakeholders for the groundbreaking of The 1901 Project, a transformational development that will bring new energy, investment, and opportunity to Chicago’s West Side.

Located around the United Center campus, The 1901 Project is planned as a long-term, multi-phase redevelopment of more than 55 acres of land surrounding one of Chicago’s most iconic destinations. The vision includes entertainment, hospitality, retail, housing, public open space, infrastructure improvements, and new community-focused amenities designed to create a more active and connected district.

For UJAMAA, this groundbreaking represents more than the official start of construction. It represents the kind of project that aligns deeply with The UJAMAA Way: building with purpose, partnering with intention, and helping ensure that major investment creates meaningful opportunity for the communities it touches.

The United Center has long served as a major anchor on the West Side. With The 1901 Project, that role is expanding. What has historically been a large campus of surface parking lots is now being reimagined as a place where people can gather, work, live, visit, and connect beyond game days and event nights.

That shift matters.

When development is planned with care, it can become a catalyst. It can create jobs. It can support small businesses. It can expand access for subcontractors and tradespeople. It can strengthen the local economy and help build long-term capacity within the construction community.

As part of the construction team, UJAMAA is honored to help bring that vision to life alongside McHugh Construction and the broader project team. Work of this scale requires technical excellence, deep coordination, and a shared commitment to execution. It also requires a clear understanding of the impact a project can have beyond the boundaries of the site.

The groundbreaking ceremony reflected that broader purpose. Project leaders, elected officials, community partners, and local stakeholders gathered to mark the beginning of a new chapter for the United Center campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. From the ceremonial shovels to the community performances, the event carried a clear message: this is not just about what will be built, but about who will benefit from what is being built.

That message is central to how UJAMAA approaches our work.

We believe construction should create pathways. On a project like The 1901 Project, that means supporting local participation, building relationships with trade partners, helping strengthen business capacity, and contributing to a development process that is rooted in opportunity.

The first phase of the project is expected to begin with major improvements that help activate the campus and set the foundation for future growth. As the development progresses, the vision is to create a year-round destination that better connects the United Center to the neighborhoods around it while bringing new spaces for entertainment, commerce, gathering, and community life.

For Chicago’s West Side, that kind of investment carries real significance. It has the potential to reshape how people experience the area, how businesses participate in growth, and how residents connect to new opportunities close to home.

At UJAMAA, we are proud to be part of projects that carry that kind of responsibility. Our work is not only measured by what rises from the ground. It is measured by the partnerships built along the way, the people brought into the process, and the lasting value created for the community.

The 1901 Project is ambitious in scale, but its true impact will be measured in access, connection, and opportunity.

We are grateful to McHugh Construction, the United Center team, project ownership, civic leaders, community partners, and everyone working to move this vision forward.

This groundbreaking is only the beginning. UJAMAA is proud to help build a project that represents progress for the West Side and a powerful example of The UJAMAA Way in action.

Building with purpose. Building with community. Rebuilding our community, one block at a time.

Source: UJAMAA Construction