General contractor, Summit Design + Build, has announced the completed construction of a new mixed-use development at 1900 W. Lawrence in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. The nearly 100-year-old building was the former home to the first ground-up Sears store which opened its doors in 1925 and permanently closed in 2016.
The adaptive reuse project, spanning the length of an entire city block, included the renovation and conversion of the former department store to 59 rental residences and first floor retail. The apartments range from one to three-bedrooms with private, internal staircases inside the second-floor units.
The centrally located five-story tower, a trademark for early Sears department stores, now houses the development’s first floor lobby, and amenity and lounge spaces on floors two through four. The retail space spans the length of Lawrence Avenue with DeVry University already occupying 90% of the available retail space. The project also included the demolition and rebuilding of the third floor, full addition of a fourth floor, the installation of two new elevators, all new MEP systems, extensive masonry work for new window openings and full interior build-out.
CA Ventures and Springbank Capital Advisors partnered on the deal to redevelop 1900 W. Lawrence. Gillespie Design Group served as the project architect.
