This week, a tip came in regarding soil testing taking place at the lots located at 320-340 S. Halsted in the Greektown area of Chicago’s greater West Loop. Located just across the street from the National Hellenic Museum, the site was previously home to Costa’s restaurant which was destroyed in 2010 fire. The tipster also mentioned that on-site signage indicated that the property is controlled by Chicago-based Loukas Development. While a subsequent look at the company’s website revealed a conceptual rendering of multifamily development credited to bKL Architecture that was perhaps suitable for the West Loop site, that particular design was once proposed for the northwest corner of Chicago and Wells (now to be the future home of Smithfield’s 808 Wells condo tower).
Though the posted rendering was for a different location, bKL’s founder and principal Thomas Kerwin did confirm that his design firm was working on a project for the South Halsted site and that Loukas Development was indeed the client. Developer Aristithis Loukas, however, could not be reached for comment. So while details are still very thin, it’s clear that something is in the works. Given that Chicago’s West Loop has never been hotter, it’s no surprise that these two lots on Halsted are gearing up to see some action.
Though already zoned DX-5, it’s unknown if the developer plans to build as-of-right or go the Planned Development (PD) approval route with the the city. Such a decision will be determined by the scope and scale of the proposed project. Based on bKL’s recent projects such as Wolf Point West, 165 W. Superior, and a planned mega-tall tower in China, we’re certainly looking forward to see what the Chicago-based architecture firm is cooking up for the Greektown site.
- Previous West Loop coverage [Curbed Chicago]
- Previous Greektown coverage [Curbed Chicago]
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