Initial plans have been revealed for the residential conversion of the existing commercial building at 153 W Ohio Street in River North. Located just west of the intersection with N LaSalle Street and across the street from the famed Ohio House Hotel, the project comes at a time where residential conversions are ramping up in the city including just down LaSalle Street. Local developer Senco Properties is leading the way with Chicago-based FitzGerald Associates working on the design.
Current view of 153 W Ohio Street via LoopNet
October 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right) first floor plans 153 W Ohio Street by FitzGerald Associates
Built in 1900 and receiving a renovation with a one-story vertical expansion in 1990, the masonry-clad structure will see a new life as its upper floors receive a redesign according to the ward’s newsletter. However the plans are a revision from their October proposal, seeing an increase in units and decrease in parking. The completed project will deliver 35 residential units made up of five-studios/efficiencies, 11 one-bedrooms, 6 one-bedrooms with dens, 11 two-bedrooms, and two three-bedroom layouts.
Floor plans for 153 W Ohio Street by FitzGerald Associates
The previous iteration called for one remaining commercial space and a handful of parking spots; both of those have now been removed for additional units and a larger entry lobby. There will no longer be any on-site parking but there will be 38 bicycle parking spaces, a small fitness room, and tenant storage in the lower basement level. The rest of the five-story structure will remain relatively the same with minor updates and repairs to the front facade and sides, while the 1990 expansion will hold the only apartments with balconies as the development sits back from the street front.
Elevations of 153 W Ohio Street by FitzGerald Associates
Being that it is a Transit Oriented Development (TOD), future residents will have bus access to CTA Routes 22, 37, 65, 66, and 156 along with all of the CTA train lines aside from the Yellow Line all within a 12-minute walk. Although the project will be built as of right and thus require no zoning changes, it will need variation approvals for the aforementioned first-story use and the removal of the parking. At the moment there is no confirmed construction timeline but we can expect the work to take around 12 months to complete once it begins.
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This is a project that moved in the right direction…you can really see how much space car storage takes in these older buildings. I absolutely love the expanded TOD ordinance and the positive effect it’s starting to have on building developments in Chicago. It’s adding density and causing developers to create much more urban buildings (walkable, bikeable is a primary concern).
Please tear that nasty 5th floor add-on off. Replace it with something more inline with the rest of the building or do roof top something.
Yikes some of those floorplans.