Burnham building converted to apartments

Architects Hartshorne & Plunkard this month began the conversion of a classic D.H. Burnham and Co. office building in the Loop into boutique apartments.
Detroit-based Village Green Companies is developing the 192-unit project, at 185 N. Wabash. The 24-story 1920s tower will be transformed during the next year and a half from the Medical & Dental Arts Building to a luxury rental building.

“This project allows us to use all of our design talents to create what is a relatively new housing type for the Midwest: the full service boutique downtown luxury rental,” said Paul Alessandro, a principal with Chicago-based Hartshorne & Plunkard. “To ensure consistency throughout the project, we are also coordinating all aspects of the project, including the building’s structural reinforcement, exterior lighting and interior furnishings.”

The building will include a long list of luxuries, including a fitness center, a concierge, 24-hour door staff and movie theaters. The roof will be reconfigured to include a garden area, a bar, a solarium, indoor and outdoor movie theaters and a grilling area.

The building’s interior will be gut rehabbed. New apartments will have cool glass and steel decoration, striped hardwood floors, contemporary vessel sinks and granite islands.

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