ChicagoDowntown / Loop

K2 at K Station, 365 N Halsted St, Fulton River District

by Joe Zekas on 11/12/11

Construction of K2 at K Station, a 496-unit 34-story luxury apartment tower at 365 N Halsted St in Chicago’s Fulton River District, began weeks before the official groundbreaking ceremony (video, right) on November 2, 2011.

K2 is the fifth and final residential high-rise in the K Station development, joining Left Bank (2006), Echelon (2008) and Alta’s East and West towers (2010) for a total of 2,145 residences. K2 is expected to begin occupancy in the first quarter of 2013.

Fifield Companies and Wood Partners are the development team. McHugh Construction is the general contractor and Pappageorge Haymes is the architect.

K2′s unit mix will include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. According to the developer, the units will have the highest level of finishes of any of the new downtown apartment complexes currently underway, including nine-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and plank flooring.

The extensive common-area amenities include two lounge and party areas with flat-panel TVs, pool tables and fireplaces. The lounge areas open to an outdoor deck with a 70-foot lap pool with four full-sized swimming lanes. The pool deck will feature a gas fire pit and four cabanas, including two that can be completely enclosed for outdoor massages.

K2’s amenities will also include a business center with a separate boardroom, a 17-seat stadium-style theater room with a 120-inch projection television system and surround sound. There will also be a “state-of-the-art” two-story exercise facility with men’s and women’s locker rooms, steam rooms, showers, and a dual-purpose room that doubles as a yoga and basketball court.

Bicycle storage was also a top priority in the design of K2 due to the building’s proximity to downtown Chicago’s existing and future protected bike lanes. K2 has been designed to offer bicycle commuters an ideal ingress/egress point on Kinzie Street that can accommodate storage for 200 bicycles in its three-story, 348-space parking garage. The bike storage has direct access to the recently-completed Kinzie protected bike lane.

Location, Views

K2′s west-of-the-river location is easily misunderstood: it’s far more convenient and lively than is apparent from a superficial look.

K2 will be the first of the K Station high-rises with direct access to a major north-south thoroughfare, connecting with Halsted St (800 W) at the bridge level and Kinzie St (400 N) at ground-level. Its WalkScore varies within a “Very Walkable” range, depending on whether you search on a Halsted or Kinzie address for the property. Since K2 is an “impact development” that will spur neighborhood expansion, its WalkScore will be better gauged once it’s complete.

K2 will have the best access to public transportation of any of the K Station high-rises. It’s just two short blocks from the CTA’s Grand Ave Blue Line station, which is also served by four CTA bus lines. The Blue Line provides direct access to O’Hare Airport and west-suburban Oak Park and Forest Park. K2 is also a 10-12 minute walk from Metra’s Ogilvie Transportation Center and the adjoining Chicago French Market.

The one-acre K2 site is directly adjacent to a new, heavily-reviewed Jewel-Osco in a strip center that also has a Radio Shack, a Pet Stuff, a Chase bank branch, a Hair Cuttery, a cleaners and a nail salon.

Fulton River Park, which has a dog run, a playground and a shaded area, is a block east of K2 and a neighborhood gathering spot.

The thriving restaurant and nightlife scenes in Greek Town, River North and along Randolph Street are all nearby. Some of the more popular dining and nightlife venues in the immediate area include Carnivale, Jefferson Tap & Grille (a neighborhood favorite), Piccolo Sogno Italian restaurant, the Funky Buddha Lounge and the Iguana Café.

Views. We’ll have to wait until its completion to be certain of the views, but K2′s siting on an east-west axis, together with its sliding dual-wing construction, should provide outstanding skyline views to the north, south and east.