A warm glow hangs over the West Loop’s lofts and restaurants in Michael Kardas‘ panoramic shot above, but the neighborhood wasn’t always a yuppie hangout.
From its history as a wholesale market district to the recent boom of new condo construction, the West Loop has changed as much as any Chicago neighborhood. A feature story in the June issue of New Homes tracks the West Loop’s past and present:
It wasn’t long before developers realized the West Loop’s potential as a residential neighborhood, and many of the large brick storage and manufacturing buildings were converted to residential lofts. Due to their popularity, though, there aren’t very many genuine loft conversions remaining in the neighborhood, but a few do still exist.
W Developments currently has two loft conversions under construction in the West Loop: The Odyssey Lofts, a 60-unit conversion at 775 W Jackson Blvd, and 123 North Sangamon, a 46-unit loft conversion in the former Soodik Printing Company building.
If Randolph Street is the West Loop’s hottest dining strip, then Madison Street is its most active residential district.
“Madison as a whole is going to be a tremendous site for young professionals working in the Loop because it’s so accessible,” says Michael Battista, the vice president of sales at Jameson Realty Group. “The whole Madison strip is very active today, and in five years it’s going to be huge in terms of retail.”
Read the whole feature article here.