It’s easy to see why people are drawn to the loft-style homes found in repurposed factories and warehouses built in Chicago’s industrial heyday—the open floorplans, high ceilings, exposed brick, raw concrete, or timber beams. There’s a lot more character than some of the vanilla boxes of newer construction properties.
There are trade-offs to consider, too. The units can be noisy. It’s hard to find options outside of expensive or gentrifying neighborhoods. Plus, buying into an older building often also comes with added costs of ownership, like tuckpointing and other repairs.
“People sometimes forget that lofts weren’t built for residence use,” says Jason Stratton, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices who specializes in loft properties. “If you do enough sales in these buildings you start to know which ones amplify noise and which ones live a bit better.”
If loft living still sounds like it’s for you, here are some of the most popular neighborhoods for finding the Chicago loft of your dreams.
West Loop
Before the West Loop exploded with new offices, hotels, and apartment towers, the area’s transformation from a gritty meatpacking district into one of the city’s hottest ‘hoods began with a wave of loft conversions in the 1990s and 2000s.
Standout conversions here include the timber building at 1040 W. Adams and the former Nabisco foods factory at 1000 W. Washington Boulevard where some units even repurpose the factory’s old ovens into unique living spaces.
The supply of lofty homes remains high in the West Loop, but the demand has unsurprisingly soared in recent years—driving prices up. Larger units, like this designer pad owned by actress Sophia Bush, can command hefty premiums.
River North
Much like the West Loop, River North wasn’t always a high-rent district. The neighborhood’s legacy as an industrial area can be found in dozens of loft-style offices and condo buildings, with the highest concentration around the gallery district west of LaSalle.
You’ll find a wide range of residential lofts across River North: the smaller boutique buildings lining Hubbard Street, larger buildings like the Sexton Lofts, and the hulking former Montgomery Ward complex along the north branch of the Chicago River.
While you can score a decent one-bedroom for less than $300,000, prices can climb quickly as you pile on more space, luxury fixtures, and sweeping skyline views—as seen in this fully customized four-bedroom example at 900 N. Kingsbury Street, listed for $2.6 million.
Printers Row and South Loop
The Printer’s Row neighborhood in the South Loop has arguably one of the highest concentrations of historic loft residences in the smallest area. The last printing company may have closed up shop and moved out, but the area is still home to some charming 19th-century industrial buildings—the landmarked Donohue and Franklin—that are full of lofty residences. One of our current favorites? This sprawling 3,500-square-foot live-work gallery with a minimalist modern makeover.
More South Loop lofts can be found further south in some of the older commercial buildings lining South Wabash and Michigan avenues. Options include the 1927 former Locomobile Company showroom on Motor Row and the Opera Lofts—once a workshop and warehouse for the set pieces, costumes, and props for downtown’s Lyric Opera.
Bucktown and Wicker Park
While the quiet tree-lined side streets of Bucktown and Wicker Park might seem far removed from Chicago’s industrial heyday, you’ll find a surprising number of small factories and warehouses scattered throughout the area. These include boutique properties like the Acme Lofts, Clock Tower Lofts, Marshfield Lofts, and the Drum Lofts—a former Ludwig drum factory.
But when searching for the Wicker/Bucktown loft of your dreams, be prepared to move fast. “The loft buildings in Wicker Park and Bucktown tend to be really hot,” says Stratton. “Units come on and off the market in a matter of days.”
That said, there are plenty of examples currently up for grabs, including a bright two-bedroom in an old warehouse near The 606 listed for $385,000, an attractive updated two-bedroom duplex on Paulina for $575,000, and this three-bedroom in the Drum Lofts seeking just shy of $700,000.
Roscoe Village
Neighborhoods near downtown are your best bets for finding a loft, but there are other outlying areas that offer a handful of industrial conversions. Places like western Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Ravenswood, and even Avondale may not be the first place you may look, but should be on your radar during your quest for the perfect loft.
One spot for loft shopping that you might easily overlook is the North Side community of Roscoe Village. It is home to properties like the Gallery Lofts and the Cinema Lofts—which contains newer construction loft residences behind an ornate historic facade that once belonged to the Belmont Theater. Units in the area don’t turn over very often, but you can score this bright two-bedroom corner unit in the Pencil Factory Lofts listed for $379,900.
And it’s not just Chicago’s old factories and warehouses that lend themselves to residential conversions. Outside of downtown, a growing number of churches and schools have been carved up into loft-style units.