FitzGerald Associates Architects

6 Stories

91 Condominiums

Parking for 91 Vehicles

181,800 SF Total

FitzGerald Associates Architects designed the conversion of two industrial buildings into one full service residential condominium building. They offer sophisticated loft-style living amid the eclectic, small-town charm and big-time excitement of North Center.

The residents of the Lofts can take advantage of the roof top deck and patio areas which provide unobstructed Chicago skyline views. Other attractive features include on-site fitness room and private parking.

These desirable condominiums have expansive floor to ceiling windows, with soaring ceiling heights of up to 16 feet, exposed timber beams and concrete columns and solid oak hardwood floors as key design features.

561 Rental & For-Sale Condominiums

166 Townhomes

17.8 Acre Master Plan

Parkside of Old Town was the recipient of the 2009 Smart Growth Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The demolition of several large super-blocks of CHA high-rise construction presented the design team with the challenge of re-visioning Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green neighborhood.  Working alongside the local residents, the Chicago Housing Authority, city officials and local politicians, FitzGerald's team led a consortium of Cabrini stakeholders through the design evolution.  The rich dynamic and resulting process produced an award-winning solution establishing a site plan hierarchy situating larger buildings along busier public streets with smaller, more family-oriented buildings along smaller interior streets.

Located adjacent to an existing public park, an elementary charter school for the arts and multiple modes of public transportation, the establishment of a safe and walkable site was paramount.  A series of internal parks extends the residents' sightlines for eyes-on-the-street security and encourages safe public green spaces.  New public streets were tied into the adjacent thoroughfares, while traffic calming devices discourage fast-moving traffic and shortcuts through the site.  For residential considerations, Parkside's dwellings are comprised of a fully integrated collection of rental and for-sale CHA, Affordable and Market-Rate units.

The site design locates parking almost exclusively on the interior of the buildings accessed via private drives, minimizing the impact of garage doors and curbcuts on the street.  The larger perimeter buildings were designed to reduce scale by manipulating massing, finish and color, thus minimizing the visual impact of a large street wall.  The townhomes take strong cues from the existing neighborhoods to the south relative to scale and are designed to provide no distinguishing façade clues as to the various owner types.

In the end, the ultimate success of Parkside of Old Town will be determined by its residents.  But the effort of those who contributed their perspective and passion to this highly collaborative process has created a supportive environment where this success can be possible.

Working Group Participants

• Business and Professional People for the Public Interest
• Cabrini Green Neighborhood Board
• Chicago Department of Transportation
• Chicago Housing Authority
• Chicago Housing Authority Legal Office
• City of Chicago Department of Environment
• City of Chicago Department of Housing
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development Finance Office
• City of Chicago Mayor's Office
• Edwin Mandel Legal Aid Center
• Habitat
• Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation
• Kimball Hill Urban Centers
• Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
• Local Area Council
• University of Illinois at Chicago

7 Stories

179 Apartments

Parking for 400 Vehicles

180,000 SF Target Retail Store

25,000 SF Retail & Office

606,000 SF Total

Designed to seek LEED Certification

Wilson Yard was awarded top honors in the ‘Green' category at the 2009 ‘Future Image' Architecture Awards by the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The Wilson Yard site is at one of the most preeminent locations in the Uptown neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, within the city's 46^th Ward.  This $150 Million redevelopment of a century-old Chicago Transit Authority rail yard and repair shop brings a variety of needed retail, residential and green-technology to the neighborhood.

FitzGerald Associates was tasked with a challenging design equation on this full block site.  The program called for space to accommodate a two-level Target store, additional retail and office space, two residential buildings totaling nearly 180 dwelling units and parking facilities for the entire development.  Regular input from the local neighborhood group, the ward Alderman and city departments throughout the design process was essential and ultimately led to a superior result for the site.

FitzGerald Associates completed multiple design iterations working to solve the complex needs of multiple site uses, which at one point in time also included a multi-screen movie theater.  Target's urban store concept was still relatively new, with only a short timeline of statistical data to provide rationale for important decisions like the parking needs of a multiple-node TOD site.  The FitzGerald Associates team was enrolled in ‘Target School', Target's in-house design and architecture workshop, to gain a better understanding of the company's needs and make sure we were able to provide fresh design solutions while making certain that Target's evolving store requirements were kept in the highest regard.

With so many uses on the site, FitzGerald Associates remained attentive to access, separation and mobility-based issues.  Signage and clarity expressed through the architecture would strengthen one's ability to easily navigate the development.  The permanent residents in the two residential towers needed to have a home in what would otherwise be described as a very transient site.  Target had its own challenging mobility requirements, including the receiving of massive shipments of goods and loading requirements to accommodate.  Patience, flexibility, creativity and collaboration were key attributes in producing this award winning sustainable design.

This $150 million redevelopment of the former home to a Chicago Transit Authority rail yard brings a wide variety of retail, residential and green-technology improvements to one of the most prominent locations in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.  A new Target store on two levels features an energy-saving green roof and anchor the retail portion of the project, with additional retail and office spaces throughout the project.

Working Group Participants

• Chicago Department of Transportation
• Chicago Housing Authority
• Chicago Housing Authority Legal Office
• City of Chicago Department of Energy
• City of Chicago Department of Housing
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development Finance Office
• City of Chicago Mayor's Office
• Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation
• Local Area Council