The two blocks of Lincoln Avenue between Wrightwood and Fullerton are set to become a flurry of construction activity as demolition work begins at a pair of job sites. Joining the already underway DePaul school of music project, the residential complex located at 2518 - 2552 N. Lincoln Avenue will be the first to come down. Previously known as Lincoln Center, the building is either best known for its raised tennis courts visible from the adjacent ‘L’ tracks or for holding the distinction as one of Lincoln Park’s ugliest buildings. With the sidewalk along the Lincoln closed and the property’s rear parking lot now resembling a heavy equipment rental yard, work to dismantle the neglected structure has started.
In its place will rise Baker Development’s Elevate Lincoln Park — the neighborhood’s first luxury TOD project. The new eleven-story structure will include 191 high-end apartment units, 138 parking spaces, and 16,300 square feet of ground level retail space. Residential occupancy had been announced for the summer of 2017, but a lot of demolition work and construction must first occur to keep that date from slipping to the fall.
Just a couple of blocks southeast, the long-vacant former Children’s Memorial Hospital has also shown its first outward signs of demolition with the addition of new exterior scaffolding at the intersection of Lincoln and Orchard. The mixed-use mega project from Dan McCaffery and Hines Interests faced a lengthy design approval process, a lawsuit from neighbors, and most recently an undisclosed permitting snafu with the city. The redevelopment of the old hospital will see 540 high-rise rental units, roughly 60 low-rise condo units, 160,000 square feet of new retail, a senior housing facility, and new public open space added to the neighborhood. Work is expected to be completed sometime in 2018 or 2019.
If all of that activity wasn’t enough, BlitzLake Partners is now seeking approval to construct no less than two mixed residential and retail projects on the 2400 block on North Lincoln. The developer is requesting zoning variances to build 22 residential units and 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail space at 2448 N. Lincoln plus nine residential units and 1,200 square feet of retail at 2462 N. Lincoln. The group will present its plans to the public at a meeting to be hosted by 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith and the Wrightwood Neighbors Association on Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM at the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute located at 2430 N. Halsted.
- Lincoln Park's Hottest Block? ANOTHER Development Proposed For Lincoln Ave [DNAinfo]
- Previous Lincoln Par coverage [Curbed Chicago]
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