Another feather in Dan Levin's cap
By Shia Kapos, August 26, 2013
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130824/ISSUE09/308249980/another-feather-in-dan-levinscap
Dan Levin is the first to admit he's no Jack LaLanne.
"I feel great, but I don't see myself as a fitness guru," says the founder and CEO of East Bank
Club, where Chicago's executive set works out.
The fitness industry is honoring Mr. Levin, 83, with a lifetime achievement award at the annual
Club Industry Show at McCormick Place Oct. 23-25. Past honorees have included Mr. LaLanne
and Gold's Gym founder Joe Gold.
Mr. Levin, founder and chairman of Chicago-based Habitat Co., which has built more than 40
buildings and plazas in Chicago, talked about his fitness fame, his big new project and why art
matters.
"It wasn't my career objective to be in the health club industry. Our (residential) buildings had
swimming pools and a few stationary bikes. But you never saw anybody. They were lonely
places. I wanted to build a place where people mingled," says the developer, who landed in
Chicago in 1957 after leaving Detroit, where his family was steeped in law and politics.
Mr. Levin may be recognized as an icon of the health club industry, but his legend is in
Chicago's skyline. The developer has built everything from luxury condos to subsidized housing
to rental, senior and student housing.
He's partnered with some of the biggest names in architecture (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) and
business (Pritzkers).
In the 1980s, Habitat built Presidential Towers on the city's West Side. The project made
headlines when it went into default, a victim of overbuilding and a recession. Hyatt Hotels
Corp.'s Pritzker family put in $14 million and helped turn the project around.
"Even though we've been somewhat successful, we don't have all the answers," Mr. Levin says.
"It's good to accept your own failings and try to keep your modesty in place."
East Bank is known nationally, thanks in part to members Oprah Winfrey, President Barack
Obama and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Mr. Levin seldom advertises the club, relying on word of
mouth.
In 2012, East Bank was ranked 21st on Club Industry's top 100 list for income volume, reporting
$54 million in revenue.
The ranking is notable given the club is not a franchise. It has the largest volume of any single
urban club in the country, Mr. Levin says.
Over the years, Habitat has considered opening a second East Bank Club. Mr. Levin has looked
at New York—the Chelsea Pier area and the Reebok Club in Lincoln Center—and in California.
"But I didn't feel like doing a club if it wasn't going to be the character of East Bank," he says
from his offices at the River North club.
East Bank's success isn't without work. Mr. Levin constantly is looking to fine-tune or revamp
equipment and programs.
Members are a demanding bunch, he says. On this day, he's selecting colors for a new
performance workout center that will take over one of the eight tennis courts.
Earlier this summer, Mr. Levin transformed the club's lobby, replacing a 20-year-old photo
mural with a 20-by-5-foot commissioned oil painting called "Our Kind of Town." The piece, by
club member and artist Emmett Kerrigan, features iconic Chicago buildings and places in the
city, including the blue East Bank Club.
Art also plays a role in Mr. Levin's latest project, Hubbard Place, a high-end residential
skyscraper designed with splashes of orange.
"You see (bold colors on buildings) in Europe, and I wanted to bring it here," says Mr. Levin, a
father of three and grandfather of 11 who became a frequent oversees flier when his wife,
attorney Fay Hartog-Levin, served as ambassador to the Netherlands from 2009-11. A daughter
also lives in Paris.
"We're planning a garden, a 20-foot sculpture and a lovely terrace," he says. "And the fact that
it's right across from East Bank Club, well, we're happy about that. It's a plus."