The lot at Lake Street and Desplaines Avenue in the West Loop is ready for construction of a new residential development now that the Fast Track restaurant is gone. The single-story stalwart was permitted for demolition back in August of last year, but remained standing until January. Demo work was swift once it officially got started. Up next for the property is the eight-story, 49-unit apartment building at 629 West Lake Street from Fulton Market Suites LLC, with Chicago Common Partners handling general contractor duties.
Rendering of 629 West Lake Street by Axios Architects
Lake Street entrance to the construction site. Photo by Daniel Schell
Rebar cages ready to be lowered into the ground and filled with concrete. Photo by Daniel Schell
Designed by Axios Architects, the building will include 2,000 square feet of retail space, a storage room for 49 bicycles, and two indoor parking spaces on the ground floor. The dwelling units will all be located on levels two through seven, with one penthouse home on the eighth floor with the building’s amenity spaces.
Caisson crew on the job. Photo by Daniel Schell
From the alley at the south end of the site. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Thatcher Foundations is on the site with Chicago Common Partners now, drilling caissons into the ground to support the weight of the new structure. Currently working at the north end of the site, concrete trucks are able to access and fill caissons from Lake Street, as the foundation team continues twisting rebar into cages and storing them inside the fence along Desplaines.
Fast Track, on the southeast corner of Lake and Desplaines in West Loop, got a demo permit on August 1. Photo by Daniel Schell
Fast Track restaurant demolition on January 29, 2025. Photo courtesy of @jlukaw on Twitter
Post-demolition, February 3. Photo by Daniel Schell
The construction site is located two blocks west of the Clinton Green/Pink elevated platform, and less than a four-block walk from the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Chicago O.T.C.) and its access to UP-N, UP-NW, and UP-W Metra trains. Several bus stops surround that station, including Routes J14, 60, 124, 125, 157, and 192. The Route 56 Milwaukee bus stops right in front of the building, at Lake and Desplaines Streets. The north-south Route 8 bus runs two blocks west along Halsted Street.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I love that Daniel waits to get the L in the background of the shot. Its the little things!
Thank you, WT
It must be all studios from floors 2-7 as it’s a small area they are building on. No way they can incorporate 1 or 2 bedrooms in 6 floors and still fit 47 units.
But anyways good project, not trying to hate on it at all
19 studios, 17 one-bedrooms, and 13 two-bedrooms. You can see a floor plan in this post from Ian when zoning was approved: https://chicagoyimby.com/2022/11/zoning-approved-for-mixed-use-development-at-629-w-lake-street-in-west-loop-gate.html
Nice! love the balconies
Nice replacement, love how the west loop is filling in