Designed to attract the young, urban, and design-savvy, this 38-unit apartment building is located at the corner of Honore and Montrose Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Montrose Avenue Brown Line Station. The project consists of one- and two-bedroom units averaging 800 square feet, and provides over 5,000 square feet of leasable retail and restaurant space. Drawing inspiration from the iconic Chicago "EL" trains and the remaining manufacturing structures in the area, the building is clad in various metal and brick textures, as if the building were constructed over time, like a small village.
The site plan illustrates the unique configuration of the site, with most of the area located at the back relative to presence and exposure on Montrose Avenue. This presented several design challenges, but also gave us the opportunity to address the El platform with a long, architecturally interesting façade.
The long side elevation of the building is broken up into three distinct massing elements, each with its own façade treatment, suggesting the structure might have been built over time.
With a mere twenty-two feet of frontage on Montrose Avenue, the retail heart of the neighborhood, the design challenge was to establish a street presence for the retail space, as well as to create a residential entry that would draw people to the front door. Additionally, the depth of the site provided an opportunity to design an “alternate front façade," allowing us to treat the side elevation facing the El station as the front façade, and using that exposure as an opportunity to introduce the building to the 62,000 train passengers commuting past The Henry each day.
The third, fourth, and fifth floors extend above the height of the El tracks, so the units facing south and east have downtown views and receive abundant natural light. Because trains must slow down and stop at the station, noise is much less of an issue in this location, as opposed to one midway between stations, where train speed and noise are at a maximum.
Only a select number of units have balconies. The design team used balconies as a way to draw architectural interest to the entrance of the building and create a visually engaging façade at crucial points in the massing's composition.
The varying materials used for the project have a unique effect. Rather than imposing itself upon the neighborhood, the building draws inspiration from its surroundings. The final result is a materiality that is perfectly suited to its multifaceted neighborhood.
The building's massing steps up at the midway point, beyond the four-story front corten steel block. This step allows for easy access from the interior amenity space to a common roof terrace.
Every unit receives maximum natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows. The finishes are simple yet elegant.
