Work to start on River North’s ‘Marlowe’ apartment tower

Courtesy of Antunovich Associates

If Chicago’s River North wasn’t already overrun with new construction, yet another high-rise rental project is ready to get started. Being built “as of right” under existing zoning, the 15-story development officially known as Marlowe just received the official all-clear to dig in at the corner of Wells and Huron. The site is currently a surface parking lot.

According to its newly issued construction permit, Marlowe will feature at total of 176 apartments of which 76 will be efficiency units. The development will also include garage parking for 84 vehicles, over 10,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, and shared amenity space for its tenants.

Project developer Lennar Multifamily Communities of Miami picked Chicago’s Antunovich Associates to handle the design of Marlowe. With its office barely two blocks from the development site, the local firm undoubtedly has an intimate understanding of the area.

This newly green-lit tower is just one of three developments expected to transform the block bounded by Erie, LaSalle, Huron, and Wells. An equally tall 15-story luxury condo building known as The Bentham is planned for 146 W. Huron. Meanwhile, the adaptive reuse and expansion of an old office building into 149 rental units is currently underway at nearby 676 N. LaSalle.

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• New construction permit at 675 N. Wells Street in Chicago [Chicago Cityscape]
• A closer look at apartment development headed to Huron and Wells [Curbed Chicago]
• Three new residential projects could completely transform this River North block [Curbed Chicago]