Plans have been revealed for the residential redevelopment of the existing loft building at 444 North Wabash Avenue in River North. Located at the corner of East Illinois Street, the top floors of the five-story structure have long been vacant. The project is being led by local developer KJF Properties.
Site map of 444 N Wabash Avenue via Google Maps
The red-brick building was originally constructed in 1935 and was last renovated in the mid-1980s. Now, local firm Red Architects is leading the design of the redevelopment. The project will retain the existing ground-floor and basement commercial spaces, which are currently occupied by a restaurant and other retail tenants.
Floor plan of 444 N Wabash Avenue by Red Architects
The upper levels will be converted into 34 residential units, consisting of four studios, 24 one-bedroom units, and six two-bedroom units. Some of the units will have internal bedrooms that utilize borrowed light. None of the apartments will have access to private outdoor space, and currently, no rooftop deck is planned.
Elevations of 444 N Wabash Avenue by Red Architects
The project falls within the building’s current zoning; however, the development team is pursuing minor zoning variances, including the removal of open space requirements. There will also be no on-site parking. As of now, no cost or formal timeline has been announced, though permits have already been filed.
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I’m sure the “those aren’t real bedrooms!” police will be out in full force here in a few minutes with their fake outrage, but to me this is a great thing to see. Keeps a nice old building in active use for another few generation, and adds more needed housing
I second that, rehabbing under utilized buildings like this will help ensure Chicago has a healthy housing market. With the median housing price rising 4x faster than the national average in recent years (2.1% vs 8.7%), we need all the new units we can get.
Add to the above sentiments: without parking and rooftop amenities these units might actually be more affordably priced. We’ll see.
There goes the neighborhood…..😢😢😢