Construction permits were issued on Thursday for the Chicago Park District‘s new headquarters, an adjacent fieldhouse, and a surrounding park, all located at 4830 S Western Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood.
Chicago Park District Headquarters. Rendering by John Ronan Architects
Current site overview, via Google Maps
Site Plan for Chicago Park District Headquarters. Drawing by John Ronan Architects
Commissioned by the Chicago Park District, the project involves a 17-acre plot of land bound by W 48th Street, Western Avenue, the CTA L Orange Line tracks, and S Rockwell Street. Planned for the southeast quadrant of this parcel will be the headquarters and fieldhouse buildings, each two stories. Together, the footprints of the two buildings will form the shape of a whole circle, and will be divided by a pathway and courtyard areas.
Ground Floor Plan for Chicago Park District Headquarters. Drawing by John Ronan Architects
The headquarters portion will involve open office floor plans with interspersed meeting rooms, and will be able to accommodate more than 200 employees. The neighboring fieldhouse building will contain 19,000 square feet of recreational programming, including a gymnasium, fitness room, and club room. The gymnasium area will contain a full-size basketball court and grandstand, while the club room will connect to an adjoining terrace space.
View of Entry to Chicago Park District Headquarters. Rendering by John Ronan Architects
John Ronan Architects is responsible for the design of the buildings, whose facades will utilize reclaimed brick on the inward-facing walls, while the outer curved walls will be clad in a glass curtainwall and perforated aluminum screens. At the top of both structures will be a green roof with 30 different plant species.
The broader park, dubbed Park 596, is the collaboration of John Ronan Architects and Site Design Group, which will contain two artificial turf fields, a grand lawn, a meadow, a spray pool, a playground, and a natural play area. At the southern edge of the property will be parking for 204 vehicles, while a total of 100 bike spaces will be interspersed throughout.
Chicago Park District Headquarters. Rendering by John Ronan Architects
Beyond driving and biking, additional transportation to-and-from the site consists of the CTA L’s Orange Line, which services Western station next to the southeast corner of the property. Adjacently north of this station are a variety of bus options, including Routes 48, 49, X49, and 94. Other buses within a roughly five-minute walk of the site can be found for Route 47 to the north and 51 to the south.
Nighttime View of Chicago Park District Headquarters. Rendering by John Ronan Architects
The $55 million undertaking is being built by F.H. Paschen / S.N. Nielsen & Associates as the general contractor. With permits now issued and the required site remediation complete, the Park Districts anticipates a completion date of 2022.
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too modern for our western,stands out seems very unfitting for the community.