The Chicago Plan Commission has approved the residential proposal at 1201 West Kinzie Street in the West Loop. Located at the corner of North Racine Avenue, the development will replace a vacant lot bounded by Metra tracks to the south. Efforts are being led by LG Group in partnership with Dirk Denison Architects.
Site context model of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
Rendering of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
The low-rise breaks from the mold of nearby high-rises, with the tallest proposal in the area located directly across the street at 420 N May. The five-story building will rise to a maximum height of 71 feet and span 200 feet along the intersection. It will be uniquely clad in a mix of glazed green brick with various bronze metal accents and panels.
Floor plans of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
Rendering of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
Inside, the ground floor will contain a small lobby, two amenity spaces, residential units along the streetfront, and a 14-vehicle parking garage accessed from Racine. The upper floors will house the remaining 66 residential units, consisting of studio, one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom layouts. Of these, 15 percent will be designated as affordable in exchange for providing larger, family-sized units.
Elevations of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
Materials of 1201 W Kinzie St by Dirk Denison Architects
The building’s massing will be articulated by four inset gardens on the second floor, allowing for additional windows for units with Juliet balconies. The roof will also feature a large deck for residents. The $25 million proposal will now require City Council approval prior to a planned late 2026 groundbreaking and mid-2028 completion.
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Should be 5X taller
I’m truly amazed they are building something here. Back during Covid, my wife would walk around Fulton with beers. Sometimes the walks would get a little extended and I’d need to take a leak. The huge trees on this lot were wonderful cover. Felt like just the tiniest slice of nature in an area with none. Hope they put in triple pane windows. I’ll miss the tall trees.
1 of those tall trees (the tallest & healthiest it would seem) is ~220′ from the intersection, so it should be just west of this development. Who knows if its root structure survives all the work though.
There are fantastic street trees in front of this property in the landscape island separating the sidewalk from Kinzie Street. Complimenting these trees, there are trees on the other side (south) of the sidewalk. There is also a massive, mature tree further west, which has been there for decades.
It is difficult to discern whether any of these mature street trees and others will be retained, since the site plan doesn’t indicate this. The renderings are equally ambiguous and absurd, with a massive tree placed above the entry recess and another above a ground floor recess. Then there are also 3-4 trees which sprout from the rooftop.
Beyond the seeming disregard for the existing mature landscape environment, the architecture is equally bereft. An entirely banal solution of repetitive, small window openings with a ground level that doesn’t engage with the streetscape. Surprisingly, the unit layouts are actually quite good, but I don’t understand the dour and disappointing architectural expression.
This is going to look great coming down Racine from the north.
I would’ve loved if it stepped back in line with the bronze panels for 2 additional floors with 10 total 4 bedroom units. So that each of the parking spaces on the ground floor were tied to a 4 bedroom unit.
Lovely green glazed brick that is becoming a trend lately.
Should be way taller. And the design is dull. Chicago deserves better.
Solid development! There are a half dozen high rises planned for this area over the next year alone. Not every building needs to be tall.
yup exactly when the area has so much open lots. Plus it would stick out and probably doesn’t have the supporting infrastructure for “tall” buildings.
Yeah, the green brick is beautiful but the building as a whole is incredibly boring. At least give it a roof and ornament the windows or something.
This is fantastic! I love the green. It gives what would be a fairly straight-forward building some personality. Anything is better than the gray/brown boxes popping up around the city. Bravo.
The design isn’t amazing but I love that color