Founding Father Of 'Hamilton' Accepts Arts Award In Chicago

(CBS) – The Broadway sensation "Hamilton" opens in Chicago later this month, but the creator of the musical was in Chicago Thursday night to accept an award.

CBS 2's Jeremy Ross was at the National Puerto Rican Museum of Art and Culture for Lin-Manuel Miranda's latest honor.

Miranda was one of two honorees receiving the National Puerto Rican Ceiba Award, named after the ceiba tree whose roots run deep.

"I'm humbled beyond humbled beyond Humboldt Park," Miranda joked, referring to the museum's home base.

The musical "Hamilton" is the story of an orphaned Caribbean outsider who, through determination and ambition, becomes George Washington's right-hand man, eventually shaping  the U.S. as we know it.

"Lin-Manuel is a star, an American star. But for the Puerto Rican community, he's a very, very special person," says Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who attended Thursday's event.

The hip hop-influenced musical won 11 Tonys, a Grammy and a Pulitzer. The first "Hamilton" performance in Chicago is slated for next Tuesday.

Another block of tickets will go on sale then.