When Tandem Developers sold out Union Lofts, at 941 W 35th St, in Bridgeport, back in 2004, it was the first loft condo development to be completed on the South Side.
As a test case, the development did not make lofts seem like a slam-dunk in this neck of the woods. Union Lofts had been on the market since 2000 and the pace was not stellar compared to sales rates at other projects on the market at that time.
But other loft developments have followed with varying degrees of success, and this uniquely urban form of housing seems to have gained a foothold, or at least a very solid toehold, on the South Side. A large stock of former commercial buildings has been converted to residential lofts on the North Side – so many that in some prime neighborhoods few good conversion candidates remain.
Could the same phenomenon occur on the South Side? It has a massive stock of industrial buildings, many underutilized. Perhaps the scale already is beginning to tip. The North Side has 13 active loft developments at the moment, compared to six on the South Side, but the projects south of Cermak add up to 556 units, just 30 fewer loft condos than on the North Side, where loft developments have a total of 586 units.
Prices range from the $150s to the $740s at North Side loft projects, and from the $160s to the $690s at loft projects on the South Side.
Here’s a rundown of current loft developments on the North Side and South Side.
South Side loft developments
Lofts at Bridgeport Place, 1038 W 35th St, 158 units, 1-2 beds, $250s-$480s
Motor Row Lofts, 2301 S Michigan Ave, 52 units, 1-3 beds, 1-2.5 baths, $230s-$650s
McKinley Park Lofts, 2323 W Pershing Rd, 163 units, 1-3 beds, 1-2.5 baths, $180s-$360s
Kissel Kar Lofts, 2550 S Wabash Ave, 32 units, 1-2 beds, 1-2 baths, $160s-$480s
Drexel Parc Lofts, 4537 S Drexel Blvd, 58 units, 1-3 beds, 1-2 baths, from $320s
Opera Lofts, 2545 S Dearborn St, 93 units, 1-3 beds, 1-2.5 baths, $250s-$690s
North Side loft developments
Citizens State Bank Lofts, 1623 W Melrose St, 9 units, 1-3 beds, 2-2.5 baths, $360s-$740s
Lofts at 1800, 1800 W Grace St, 91 units, 1-3 beds, 1-2.5 baths, $270s-$650s
Tru Lofts, 2525 N Sheffield Ave, 28 units, 0-3 beds, 1.5-2.5 baths, from $340s
College Lofts, 1521 W Haddon Ave, 23 units, 1-2 beds, 1-2 baths, $320s-$520s
PAC Lofts, 1735 N Paulina St, 95 units, 1-3 beds, 1-3 baths, from $300s
Baer Lofts, 1927 N Milwaukee Ave, 16 units, 1-2 beds, 1-2 baths, from $270s
2105 W Concord St, 7 units, 2 beds, 2 baths, $460s-$580s
Gunnison Street Lofts, 1215 W Gunnison St, 22 units, 1-3 beds, 1.5-2.5 baths, $280s-$390s
North Beach Lofts, 1225 W Morse Ave, 43 units, 2 beds, 2 baths, $280s-$310s
Renaissance Lofts, 1791 W Howard St, 37 units, 1-2 beds, 1.5-2 baths, $150s-$320s
Broadway Village Lofts, 5427 N Broadway St, 24 units, 1 bed, 1 bath, $230s-$250s
Rogers Lofts, 7377 N Rogers Ave, 16 units, 1-2 beds, 1 bath, $180s-$340s
Shoemaker Lofts, 3927 W Belmont Ave, 175 units, 1-2 beds, 1-2 baths, $250s-$400s