The Pickwick Stable, 22 E Jackson, is architecture blogger Wayne Lorentz’s “all-time favorite most unusual Chicago building.” You can learn some of the building’s history at Chicago Architecture Info.
The Pickwick Stable, together with the adjoining Gibbons and Steger buildings, are being converted into 160 student housing units by Campus Acquisitions LLC, whose website also recounts a bit of the buildings’ history. Chicago Real Estate Daily recently reported on the conversion. A year ago the Sun-Times and WBBM reported on a previous developer’s plans for student housing.
According to Campus Acquisitions there are “70,000+ students from 11 distinguished institutions within a one-mile radius” of the buildings. Some of those students are doubtless snickering at the notion that they attend “distinguished institutions.” The 70K+ number is greater than the 65K+ attendance at the 30 institutions comprising Chicago’s downtown Loop U.
You can see all of the new apartment projects proposed and underway in downtown Chicago at our at-a-glance list, and see more of our aerial photography at Flickr.