Lathrop Redevelopment 1A Image
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Lathrop Redevelopment 1A

The Lendlease Team, comprised of Bowa Construction, Ujamaa Construction and Primera Engineers, was selected by Lathrop Community Partners, a partnership between Related Midwest and two not-for-profit developers, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation and Heartland Alliance Housing, Inc., to redevelop Phase 1A for the Lathrop community.

Lathrop Redevelopment 1A

Client
Lathrop Community Partners

Location
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Completion
2019

Area
17 Buildings, 14 acres, 500,000 square feet

Assignments
General Construction, GMP

Architect
Harley Ellis Devereaux, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects, BKL Architecture, Michael Van Valkenburgh

Project outcome

As one of the earliest public housing projects in the country, Lathrop was built in 1937, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As originally built, the 35-acre site consisted of 32 buildings surrounded by factories. After decades of cleanup, the river has become one of Chicagos most valued amenities. Realizing the beauty of the river, the redevelopment work included new site infrastructure, preservation of the Great Lawn and revitalization of the rivers edge along the Chicago River - including a pedestrian bridge linking the north and south site parcels and a kayak launch.

The project focused on the site north of Diversey where 13 buildings were renovated into 354 modern residential units and the new construction of a new residential building that included 59 units. The residential renovation included dishwashers, in-unit washer-dryers, plank floors and quartz countertops.

The renovation scope of work also included reconfiguration of the Administration building and conversion of two existing residential buildings to a maintenance shop and a boat house. Additionally, Phase 1A included the new construction of a 59-unit residential building south of Diversey Avenue.

The redevelopment provides the City of Chicago and prospective residents with a historically preserved and sustainable neighborhood that includes a significant greenspace with a thoughtful landscape design. Lathrop offers a mix of 242 affordable and 171 market rate residences, contributing to the City of Chicago's commitment to affordable housing and diversity.