Facade scaffolding can be seen along the frontage 430 N Michigan Avenue, the downtown headquarters for The National Association of Realtors (NAR). Originally built in 1962 as a 10-story building, this Magnificent Mile has high…
Structural beams can now be seen at the site of 3115 N Broadway in Lake View East, where JSM Venture Inc has planned for the renovation of a former five-story parking garage with retail on the ground level. This Art Deco structure will retain its ground-level retail, while converting the former parking component into 72 apartment units.
Demolition work can be seen at the site of the former Sears department store, situated at 4712 W Irving Park Road in Portage Park. Under development by Novak Construction, this initial work will clear the way for a mixed-use transformation. Estimated to cost $90 million, this massive undertaking is another piece of a broader effort to enliven the six corners commercial node. Just across the street, work is progressing rapidly for a 10-story senior living and retail development known as Clarendale Six Corners.
The iconic Morton Salt branding and logo has re-emerged at the former Morton Salt Factory in West Town. This refurbished roof is part of an adaptive re-use scheme by R2 Companies, Blue Star Properties, and Skydeck. These plans at 1357 N Elston Avenue involve the conversion of the facility into a new entertainment and office venue.
Exterior renovations can be seen making progress at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) at 5700 S Lake Shore Drive in Hyde Park. At the northern end of Jackson Park, just northeast of the now-underway Obama Presidential Center, this Beaux-Arts edifice is originally known as The Palace of Fine Arts, built for Chicago’s World Columbian Exposition in 1893. The building was designed by Charles Atwood for the Chicago-based firm D. H. Burnham & Co, originally founded by Daniel Burnham and John Root. Standing as a centerpiece to the original exposition plan, the structure was the only one within the fair grounds to utilize a brick substructure underneath its plaster facade.
