Chicago Tribune Freedom Center Demolition Begins, Paving Way For Bally’s Casino

RIVER WEST — Demolition of the Chicago Tribune’s Freedom Center began Tuesday to make way for the new Bally’s casino and hotel complex.

In 2022, Bally’s Casino secured the city’s approval to build a casino at Tribune Publishing, 700 W. Chicago Ave. The casino, meant to beef up funding for the city’s police and fire pensions, is slated to include 3,300 slots, 173 table games, 500 hotel rooms, a 3,000-seat entertainment venue, 2-acre public park, six restaurants, a food hall and three bars.

In May, after 43 years in operation, the Freedom Center printed its last issue of the Tribune. The newspaper company vacated the building in July.

The Freedom Center demolition could take five months with crews working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, city officials said at a community meeting in June.

No explosives will be used for the demolition. Excavators will be used for most of the site, while other areas will require hand excavation.

Additional dust mitigation efforts include keeping the site wet so debris is contained on the ground. On-site vehicles will be limited to a speed limit of 10 mph to limit debris kicked into the air, officials previously said.

Every day during demolition, the health department will dispatch dust monitors to the site who will have the power to stop operations if dust is not contained.