The City of Chicago has selected Englewood Connect, a project by designers Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) and TnS Studio, lead developer McLaurin Development Partners, and Farpoint Development, to create an incubator for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the city’s Englewood neighborhood. As part of Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative, Englewood Connect will expand upon recent neighborhood investments to create a local commerce and culinary ecosystem, greater connectivity and pedestrian access, and flexible public spaces.
Englewood Connect is designed to elevate Englewood residents through a mixed-use, phased development strategy focused around a flexible public space called the Green Street Commons. The Englewood Living Room, a proposed pavilion with operable doors and windows, will be open year-round, allowing for markets, co-working spaces, exhibitions, and places for the community to gather and engage with one another.
Alongside new architecture, the plan restores and reinvigorates one of Englewood’s historic assets. The landmark “castle” Firehouse station, originally built in 1929 and now vacant, will be transformed into a multi-purpose venue tailored to the community’s needs. The adaptive reuse project aims to protect the landmark structure for the next century. The space will connect nearby amenities to the site and create a platform for small business growth.
As a team, Englewood Connect holds a portfolio centered around community growth and enhancing underutilized spaces, with project work in Englewood ranging from architectural support with students and local construction opportunities to small business expansion.
The team will work with existing local businesses, community organizations, artists, and makers to develop a program informed by Englewood’s identity, and designed to serve the community’s changing needs. The team is bolstered by industry experts with both global expertise and local focus: Chef David Blackmon, dbHMS, Rubinos & Mesia Engineers, Omni Ecosystems, Engage Civil, Environmental Design International, Gwen Grossman Lighting Design, Bowa Construction, and Neal & Leroy.
