The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast

West Loop was Chicago’s printing district before it became a dining destination, and the corner of May Street and Fulton Market still carries the brick-and-timber bones of that industrial past. The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast occupies one of the district’s converted structures, a building that moved through careers as a print shop and later a casket manufacturer before its current life as an eleven-room inn run by owners Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery. This guide covers everything a visitor needs to plan a stay or a walk-through visit, from room design to the surrounding blocks of galleries, restaurants, and coffee roasters.

The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast sits at 108 N May St in Chicago’s West Loop, inside a 110-year-old brick building that once housed a printing operation and a casket factory. The eleven-room inn blends industrial architecture with curated interiors, offers rooms generally priced from $250–$450 per night, and rewards guests who book direct for the best rate and earliest check-in access.

At A Glance

Deep Origins, Architectural Evolution & Cultural Significance

The building at 108 N May St dates to the early 1900s, an era when the streets surrounding Fulton Market pulsed with wholesale meatpacking operations, print shops, and small manufacturers rather than restaurants and design studios. Records tied to the property describe an original function connected to publishing, followed by a period of use as a casket factory, a lineage that gives the inn its name and much of its narrative appeal. Rather than scrub away the marks of that working past, the current owners chose to preserve the raw brick walls, timber ceiling beams, and iron structural elements as the backbone of the interior design, layering in contemporary furnishings, art, and lighting rather than replacing the shell entirely. This approach places the property within a broader pattern of adaptive reuse across the West Loop, where meatpacking warehouses have become art galleries and rail spurs have become elevated parks. The transformation of a former casket factory into a boutique inn is a pointed example of how Chicago’s industrial corridors have been recoded for hospitality and leisure without erasing their physical history. For a city whose identity is deeply tied to manufacturing, printing, and commerce, buildings like this one function as quiet monuments, offering guests a tactile connection to a Chicago that predates the neighborhood’s current identity as a culinary and design destination.

The husband-and-wife ownership team has positioned the property less as a conventional hotel and more as a design-forward retreat, curating each of the eleven rooms individually rather than repeating a single template across the building. This individualized approach mirrors the boutique inn model popularized in cities like New Orleans and Savannah, but filtered through a distinctly Midwestern industrial lens. The inn’s cultural weight within Chicago’s hospitality landscape comes from this combination: a building with genuine manufacturing-era provenance, an ownership group invested in storytelling through interior design, and a location inside one of the most closely watched dining and gallery districts in the country.

Signature Highlights & Detailed Offerings

Each of the eleven rooms carries its own name, palette, and furnishing scheme, a departure from the uniform room grids found in most Chicago hotels. Expect a mix of exposed brick accent walls, restored timber ceiling beams, cast-iron radiators repurposed as design elements, and freestanding soaking tubs in select rooms. Bedding tends toward high-thread-count linens paired with locally sourced textiles, and several rooms include reading nooks positioned near the building’s original tall factory windows. Breakfast service is included with most stays, typically a plated or family-style morning meal prepared in-house and served in a communal dining area that doubles as the inn’s social hub; the exact menu rotates seasonally but generally features baked goods, egg dishes, and coffee sourced from area roasters. The property also operates event and gathering space suited to small private dinners, bridal preparation, or intimate corporate meetings, capitalizing on the building’s photogenic brick backdrop. Wi-Fi is provided throughout public and private areas, and the inn’s compact scale, eleven rooms total, means guests receive a level of personal attention closer to a private residence than a commercial hotel chain.

Sensory & Spatial Walkthrough

Walking in from May Street, the first sensation is the contrast between the rough masonry exterior and the considered warmth of the interior lighting. Original factory windows, tall and multi-paned, admit strong directional light during morning hours, particularly in east-facing rooms, softening by late afternoon as the low West Loop skyline filters the sun. The material palette throughout favors raw brick, blackened steel fixtures, reclaimed wood, and brass hardware, a combination that reads industrial without feeling cold, largely because of layered textiles, upholstered seating, and warm-toned lighting fixtures placed at human height rather than overhead. Acoustically, the building’s original masonry and timber construction gives common areas a slightly reverberant quality, softened in guest rooms by carpeting, drapery, and furnishings. Communal breakfast hours bring the liveliest atmosphere, with conversation and the clatter of service filling the dining space, while evenings shift toward quiet, dimly lit corridors and rooms suited to unwinding after a day exploring Fulton Market’s restaurants. Photographers will find strong compositions in the juxtaposition of original brick against modern furniture, particularly near stairwells and window bays where natural light rakes across the wall texture in the early morning and again just before sunset.

Insider Visitor Strategy & Pro Tips

• Book three to four weeks ahead for weekend stays; the West Loop’s restaurant scene drives heavy demand on Friday and Saturday nights, particularly during Chicago Restaurant Week and major convention periods tied to nearby McCormick Place.
• Booking directly through the inn’s own site frequently secures better rates and earlier check-in flexibility than third-party booking platforms.
• Request an east-facing room if strong morning light and views toward the Loop skyline matter to your stay.
• Arrive after 3:00 PM to avoid overlapping with housekeeping turnover; late morning check-out around 11:00 AM keeps mornings unhurried for breakfast.
• Photography inside common areas is generally welcome for personal use; check with staff before shooting for commercial or promotional purposes.
• Pack layers; exposed brick interiors and older HVAC zoning in converted industrial buildings can mean temperature variation between rooms and hallways.

Curated Half-Day Neighborhood Pairing Itinerary

Start the morning with breakfast at the inn, then walk two minutes to Mary Bartelme Park, a small green space useful for a quick outdoor coffee or a photo of the neighborhood’s contrast between converted warehouses and new residential towers. From there, head six minutes east on Fulton Market to the block of restored meatpacking buildings now occupied by design showrooms and contemporary galleries; several rotate small exhibitions worth a fifteen-minute browse. Continue toward Randolph Street, roughly a ten-minute walk, to sample the espresso and pastry counter at one of the corridor’s independent coffee shops before finishing the loop back toward May Street. The entire circuit runs under ninety minutes at a relaxed pace and covers architecture, art, and food without requiring transit.

Practical Logistics & Universal Accessibility

The Morgan Street station on the CTA Green and Pink Lines sits roughly a five-minute walk from the inn, offering the fastest transit connection to the Loop and O’Hare via transfer at Clark/Lake. Multiple CTA bus routes run along Halsted Street and Lake Street within a few blocks. Rideshare pickup and drop-off is straightforward given the wide industrial streets in the area, though weekend evening congestion around Fulton Market restaurants can slow curbside access. Paid parking lots are available within a block or two of the property, generally running $20–$35 for an overnight stay; street parking exists but is metered and time-restricted during business hours. As a converted industrial building, accessibility varies by room; guests with mobility needs should confirm ground-floor or elevator-accessible room availability directly with the inn before booking, since older brick structures sometimes retain original stair configurations. There is no formal dress code for guests, and payment is accepted via major credit cards, with most reservations requiring a credit card hold at booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast pet-friendly? Policies vary by room type; confirm directly with the inn before booking if traveling with a pet, as not all rooms accommodate animals.

Does the rate include breakfast? Yes, most room rates include a morning breakfast service prepared on-site and served in the communal dining area.

How far is the inn from downtown Chicago? Roughly 1.5 to 2 miles from the Loop, about a 20-minute walk or a 5–10 minute ride via car or transit.

Can non-guests book the space for private events? Yes, the inn offers its common areas and event space for private gatherings such as dinners or small celebrations, bookable through the events contact listed on the official site.

What is check-in and check-out time? Check-in begins at 3:00 PM and check-out is at 11:00 AM, standard for boutique inns of this size.

Is parking available on-site? There is no dedicated on-site garage; guests typically use nearby paid lots priced around $20–$35 per night or limited metered street parking.