A permit was issued by the City of Chicago on January 13 to erect a nine-story, 50-unit residential building at 135 North Desplaines Street in the West Loop. The new development, which we first learned of in March 2023, will replace a surface parking lot on the northeast corner of Desplaines and Randolph Streets. The permit had been pending in the Chicago Data Portal since March 2024; it comes through now with a reported cost of $9.5 million.
First floor (left) and typical residential floor (right) plans of 135 North Desplaines Street by Axios Architects & Consultants
Renderings of 135 North Desplaines Street by Axios Architects & Consultants
135 North Desplaines will be delivered by the same team currently progressing on 629 West Lake Street one block north of here, and the two projects will have very similar aesthetics. Continuum Real Brokers is the developer, Axios Architects designed the plans, and Chicago Common Partners LLC will carry them out as the general contractor. The full building permit includes caissons and grade beams; there will be no separate permit for those foundation elements.
The nine-story building will hold its 50 units above the first floor. At ground level, there will be a corner commercial space fronting Randolph and Desplaines, parking for three cars, a loading berth, bicycle parking, and a residential lobby and mailroom. The expected apartment mix will include studio units, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floor plans. Each residence have its own balcony, with a rooftop deck adding more outdoor space.
Site context of 135 north Desplaines Street, via Google Maps
Surface parking lot at Desplaines & Randolph, via Google Street View
Three parking spaces, you say? More than ample. 135 North Desplaines residents will live within a two-block walk of the Clinton Green/Pink Line elevated platform at Lake and Clinton Streets. Also two blocks away is the entrance to the Chicago French Market, which leads to the Ogilvie Transportation Center and its UP-N, UP-W, and UP-NW Metra trains. Several CTA bus routes converge on Ogilvie, including Routes J14, 20, 56, 60, 124, 125, 157, and 192.
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3 parking spaces is a wet dream for this site’s audience. Nice project.
I’m skeptical of the 3 spaces. Maybe 3 spaces for the commercial space…plus 50-100 for condo owners. I don’t see buyers in this market not demanding a spot. All you haters can go off but it’s just how I see things happening.
Actually, I retract. I was under the impression these were condos. Renters here will forgo parking.
Because there are zero people who own condos in buildings with zero parking today in the West Loop? 😉 We get what we build for, we attract the kind of condo buyer we invite.
Wasting that much ground floor square footage for 3 parking spaces is unhinged.
Build it! Not the prettiest building but its better than a parking lot
a curb cut for 3 parking spaces?
Great to see.
It looks like Chicago has entered an era where you are largely going to see mostly smaller/midrise type of buildings pop up in infill sites, and less of the bold highrise/supertall type of construction that we were seeing in years/eras past.
It’s still better than nothing, but boy were we spoiled in the 2000s-2020 era when there were TONS of middle range and tall buildings going up everywhere. I do hope to see a return to that some day, skyline altering booms are always fun to live through