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The village of Oak Park just west of Chicago stands in stark contrast to the birth of the skyscraper's sprawling array of highrises. Here, historic homes and districts — once the stomping ground of famous Americans like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway — have largely informed the local flair. But like any community on the fringe of a major city, Oak Park is growing up and new developments are reshaping key neighbourhoods.
One of them is under construction on the southeast quadrant of Lake and Harlem, where Clark Street Real Estate and Lennar Multifamily Communities are building a 271-unit residential development in the form of two distinctly designed buildings. The apartments within Oak Park Station are split between a 20-storey south tower and a five-storey north tower by FitzGerald Associates Architects.
Both structures will feature retail on the ground floor, totaling 26,757 square feet. The highrise will incorporate the development's 428-space parking garage, which will be available for use by residents and the public, while possessing a modern glass design. In contrast, the shorter accompanying brick and stone building echoes the neighbourhood's built form in terms of scale and cladding. The two buildings will be linked by a mid-air pedestrian bridge.
Construction crews are working hard towards the 2017 target delivery date. New photos from the site show the inclined concrete levels of the parking garage taking shape, while the wood-framed mid-rise nears structural completion. When finished, the development will be within close reach of major transit services, including the CTA Green line, Metra commuter rail, and eight Pace and CTA bus lines via the Oak Park Transit Center.
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