How it started
History
McHugh was founded in 1897 by James D. McHugh, an Irish bricklayer from the South Side of Chicago. By the mid-1920s, McHugh had established itself as a general contractor specializing in elaborate masonry work.
During the Great Depression, McHugh continued to grow through projects funded by the Public Works Administration. McHugh began sending crews across the country for heavy construction work, including water treatment systems and transportation tunnels. The postwar era of the 1940s and 1950s saw a resurgence of the market for institutional facilities and public works structures as Chicago struggled to keep pace with its booming population. In response to this demand, McHugh built additions to Cook County Hospital and a residence hall for Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in 1955.
During the 1950s, McHugh continued to centralize and grow in Chicago. Marina City was one of their next large projects. For this project, McHugh pioneered the use of fiberglass concrete forms that are still used for curved concrete construction. The project, the world's tallest reinforced concrete structure at the time, also marked the first use of the climbing crane, which paved the way for speedier, more efficient high-rise construction.
When a change in ownership occurred in the mid-1970s, the McHughs chose to sell a portion of the company to the employees, which predated the employee stock option trend by decades. Employees still own part of the company today.
After the passing of her father in August 2016, the founder's great-granddaughter, Patty McHugh, became chairwoman of the firm.
From Wikipedia’s article on James McHugh Construction Co, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2