An ambitious adaptive re-use project transformed an obsolete office building into a mixed-use facility integrating retail, parking spaces and luxury residential condominiums at an important downtown Chicago site overlooking Grant and Millennium parks. While introducing these new uses, the building conversion preserved the limestone-clad facade, the blue lit beehive dome, and the opulent bronze-and-marble lobby. To satisfy residential code, the building required extensive access modifications, including a single elevator serving all floors. In-depth study revealed only one location option which mandated a new freestanding enclosure behind the existing tower, detailed to address landmark district requirements. The conversion also incorporated 318 S. Michigan Avenue, an adjacent seven-story, timber-frame terra cotta-clad structure dating from 1899.
