The restoration of the former Bailey Hall is focused around student success. Designed by award-winning architect and alumnus Dirk Denison (ARCH ’83, M.B.A. ’83), the soon-to-be-rededicated George J. Kacek Hall offers comfort, stunning views, and space for study and sociability in a way that honors the building’s distinct, historical qualities—the original building was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1955—while innovating for the way students live, study, work, and socialize in the twenty-first century.
Named for George J. Kacek (EE ’54, M.S. ’55), Kacek Hall will offer students space to achieve all of this and more when it opens this fall, with an emphasis on community, spectacular Lake Michigan and Chicago skyline views, and graciously simple design. —Joseph Giovannetti
Shared Space
- On the north side of each residential floor, a study lounge encourages cooperative learning, accompanied by inspiring views of the Chicago skyline.
- On the south side of each residential floor, a social lounge promotes the kinds of chance encounters with your neighbors that can lead to lifelong friendships—or the next great startup.
Relax and Restore
- A fitness room and laundry facilities are accessible from a large, shared lounge and multipurpose space where all of the building’s residents can come together.
A Miesian Lobby
- The building’s structure is faithful to Mies’ original design—including the recessed, transparent glass entryway.
Student Health
- Kacek Hall is not just beautiful. It is designed with energy efficiency in mind, incorporating a mechanically assisted fresh-air cooling system, high-performance insulation, and an exhaust heat exchanger, all providing a sustainable and healthy environment for student life.
The Life of George J. Kacek (EE ’54, M.S. ’55)
Born and raised in Berwyn, Illinois, George Kacek is remembered by his niece, Stacey Kacek, as a “classic geek” whose interest in learning how things work led him to Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned his master’s degree in the same year that Bailey Hall was first completed and opened to the public. Following graduation Kacek designed software systems for aerospace control and navigation with General Electric for 15 years, followed by more than 20 years at the defense contractor company Raytheon, where he was heavily involved with the Patriot missile program as an engineer, project manager, and team leader. After retiring, Kacek branched into the stock market, leveraging his expertise and investing in promising technology and aviation companies. The fortune he accumulated was bequeathed to Illinois Institute of Technology upon his death.
For Stacey Kacek and the rest of the Kacek family, the dedication of George J. Kacek Hall serves a dual purpose: honoring the Kacek name in Chicago, where the Kaceks settled after immigrating to the United States when George Kacek’s father was a boy, and highlighting George Kacek as an example for Illinois Tech students now and in the future.
“I hope that George can be an inspiration to current students, that success doesn’t have to look like a million-dollar idea or that big flashy career,” says Stacey Kacek. “It’s possible to lead a humble, quiet life that is still successful if you’re passionate about your work and build strong personal relationships.”