Initial details have been revealed for an upcoming mixed-use development at 353-363 E 51st Street in Washington Park. Located just west of the intersection with S Martin Luther King Drive on the northwest corner of the aforementioned park, the new project will redevelop a pair of existing structures varying in heights that have sat vacant for nearly 10 years now. Led by a joint venture made up of locals and co-developers Corey Gilkey and James Daughrity called Policy Kings, the duo is working with a local design firm on the new concept that will revitalize the corner.
Site context map via Google Maps
Made up of two one-story retail and one three-story mixed-use structures, the corner previously held the Cain’s Barber College until being put up for sale in 2013. The team is also familiar with the area having both family history on the block as well as Gilkey having helped create Boxville, an outdoor marketplace, down the street. After no banks would give them a loan, the two combined forces to buy the place themselves and recently received partial funding from the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund to help get things going according to Block Club.
Current view of 353 E 51st Street via Google Maps
The 17,220-square-foot project will include a couple of ground-level retail spaces of which two will go to sneaker stores Queenz and the other to Leaders 1354. There will also be an indoor-outdoor restaurant which will be occupied by Friistyle who operates a location nearby in Bronzeville. The remainder of the building will hold a gym and six new sustainable apartments, these won’t be rented out on standard leases but instead used for short-term stays like AirBnBs for those visiting the area for events or the university.
Demolition drawings for 363 E 51st Street via Block Club
Visitors will be able to access the new site via a two-minute walk from the CTA Green Line 51st Street stop, bus service for CTA Route 15 at its doorstep, and Route 3 via a two-minute walk as well. The $6.1 million project will begin construction within weeks as the grant provided Policy Kings with $2.3 million in initial funding, with construction being phased to open in parts starting this October with a full completion expected late 2023. Along with other outreach efforts, the team is working with Black-owned Nation Builders to ensure 80 percent of subcontractors are also minority owned.
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