Chicago mayor breaks ground for new DePaul basketball arena

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined officials from DePaul University and McCormick Place to turn a symbolic first shovel Monday on a massive project to build a 10,000-seat basketball arena for DePaul that would double as an "event center" for McCormick Place.

The project, which would see DePaul move its games out of the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, has been a symbol of what critics call the mayor's misplaced priorities.

But Emanuel described the ceremony as "breaking ground on the future" of Chicago's, now-thriving convention business.

"This event center, plus the new Marquis Hotel - 7,500 people in the area are going to work building that future ... Because of these investments, because of the investment in the new transportation facility, there are new residential units going up, new restaurants, new entertainment. Exactly the vision we had," Emanuel said.

The project also is expected to generate 7,400 construction jobs, 2,500 permanent jobs and jump start Motor Row.

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