Construction has been completed for the mixed-use redevelopment of the office building at 1616 Orrington Avenue in Evanston. Located at the heart of downtown Evanston, we originally covered the remodel of the Fountain Square Building back in 2021. Since then developer Shapack Partners, more commonly known for their West Loop projects, has completed work on the five-story structure.
Image of completed 1616 Orrington Avenue by Ian Achong
Image of completed 1616 Orrington Avenue by Ian Achong
Originally built in 1948 by Maurice L. Rothschild & Co. for a new location of their department stores, the building has been remodeled multiple times since and converted into office space. But in 2021 Shapack embarked on a major redevelopment designed by local firm Eckenhoff Saunders. This began with a complete restoration of its limestone facade and replacement of its windows, enlarging the existing window bays on both sides of the building.
Image of completed 1616 Orrington Avenue via Eckenhoff Saunders
Image of completed 1616 Orrington Avenue by Ian Achong
On the inside its original core was relocated to the northern end of the building to allow for more open floor plates, this brought a new entrance on Orrington and an address change from 1601 Sherman Avenue. The ground floor was also split into two retail spaces, one of which has been occupied by a Sweetgreen since 2022. The fountain in front of the structure, after which it’s named for, is set to be restored in the coming years.
Image of completed 1616 Orrington Avenue by Ian Achong
The building also received a new rooftop amenity space and bump-out that is well hidden from the ground, connecting to a south-facing deck with glass handrails to preserve the building’s original lines. The project was built with bird deterrent glass as well and contains no vehicle parking spaces of its own. The project has begun leasing and complements other nearby developments like Evanston Labs.
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it will always be Maurice L Rothschild to me….the reskinning is respectful but why is the penthouse so lumpy and ill-formed? It’s as if it was designed by a different architect in a basement with no reference to the building it’s sitting on?? Perhaps the developer can respond.
The retail space will always’s be Carmen’s deep dish pizzeria to me! Glad they did not tear this down.
This writer can’t write.
Hi Scotty, please elaborate