The northeastern neighborhoods of Chicago are growing as core neighborhoods get busier and more expensive. Edgewater and Rogers Park in particular are seeing older structures torn down to make way for new developments. Currently, there are three major developments underway that are changing the landscape. 

Former Woodruff Arcade

Rendering courtesy of The Arcade

Late last year Preservation Chicago put in effort to save the Woodruff Arcade, which was then one of the top endangered sites in the city. Alongside the Edgewater Historical Society, residents fought to save the building at Broadway Street and Sheridan Road in Edgewater. Despite the efforts, the Woodruff Arcade was awarded its first construction permit earlier this month. According to Curbed Chicago, the structure that stood for 95 years at the corner will be replaced by a new seven-story, transit-oriented building dubbed “The Arcade”. 

Developers Borekci Real Estate and Algonquin Ventures Real Estate are planning a 58-unit building with retail space and a ground floor parking garage. Locally based Hirsch MPG designed the building to have a similar shape and aesthetic to the old structure while also featuring a new serrated stone facade. Construction is slated to continue in stages. Officials project opening the building in Spring 2019.

The Woodruff Arcade was built in 1923 and was among the last of its kind in the nation. Bringing the outdoors inside, Herbert H. Green’s architecture features an interior space with a massive glass skylight, a two-story courtyard, and a walkable balcony.

Loyola Athletic Facility

Rendering courtesy of Loyola Athletic Facility

Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward, gave his official approval of the proposed athletic facility for Loyola University this February. It also needed to earn the approval of the Chicago Plan Commission and a review by the Lakefront Protection Ordinance. The two-story building will be located at the southwest corner of Loyola and Winthrop avenues. 

According to the Loyola Phoenix, the $18.5 million practice facility will be located between the Mertz Residence Hall and Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics. It’ll be a practice facility for the basketball and volleyball teams, having a NCAA regulation size basketball court and two volleyball courts.

Currently, athletes are practicing in the Halas Recreation Center’s fitness facility, which is used by the entire school. 

The majority of the facility will be funded by a single donation from Al Norville, a former Loyola Hall of Fame guard and forward. The building will be named Alfie Norville Practice Facility, after Al’s wife Alfie. The remaining financial contribution comes from outside donations. According to the Chicago Tribune, the school saw a 660 percent increase in donations between March 1 to April 2 compared with the previous year, a bump from the school’s unexpected run to the Final Four in this year’s NCAA championship.

If all goes as planned, the facility will be completed by July 2019.

The Concord at Sheridan

Rendering courtesy of GREC Architects

Located at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Devon Avenue in Rogers Park, The Concord on Sheridan officially broke ground late November, according to Curbed Chicago. The project at 6418 N. Sheridan Road will deliver 111 mixed-income apartments, and it’s the first Chicago Housing Authority investment in the neighborhood in decades. Roughly 60 percent of its units will be reserved for CHA residents, and the remaining will be rented at market rate. 

It’ll also be home to 30,000 square feet of retail space, which will include a 23,000-square-foot Target store. The seven-story development is also considered transit-oriented. It’s about equidistant from both the Loyola and Granville CTA Red Line stops. The development will, however, have 125 below-ground parking spots for shoppers.

The building replaced a rec facility and adjacent surface parking lot, which was utilized by the CHA Caroline Hedger Senior Apartments. A replacement community center for the 400 residents of that building is part of the new project. According to a 2017 post from DNA Info, the proposal for Concord included a community center with a rooftop terrace.