General contractor, Summit Design + Build, LLC, recently completed the renovation of a four-story, mixed-use commercial building located at 444 N. Orleans Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The project, which started in early 2019, included the new construction of a vertical addition to bring the building to a total of five stories.
The existing, 21,000-square-foot building that stands at the southwest corner of Illinois and Orleans Street in River North was formerly home to a variety of corporate office tenants and high-end furniture stores prior to being vacated to make way for the renovations. The building now totals over 25,000 square feet, offering first floor retail space and office or showroom space on the remaining floors in the in-demand River North submarket, just blocks away from the Merchandise Mart, the East Bank Club and multiple public transit lines.
In addition to completing the vertical addition, construction included a major interior renovation with all new MEP systems, new bathrooms, new windows throughout allowing for maximum natural light, 78 feet of first floor retail frontage, and a new, relocated elevator for a more efficient floor plan.
The building’s exterior was also updated by utilizing the existing coarse stucco façade as a scratch coat to install a new, smooth stucco finish. Selective areas of the existing brick façade were removed and replaced by a Dekton ventilated porcelain façade. 444 N. Orleans is being redeveloped by The Lelyn Group and von Weise Associates is providing architectural services.
