Workers are installing sleek new windows at PAC Lofts, 1735 N Paulina St, in Bucktown. The bubblegum-colored trim on the existing windows is leftover from the building’s days as the Paulina Arts Center (hence the name).
The building, built in 1908 as home to the Felt and Tarrant Manufacturing Company, was expanded in 1911 and again in 1950 before being transformed into commercial loft space for undiscovered artists in the 1980s. Judging by the heinous color of the old windows, it’s a safe bet that the artists who worked here remained undiscovered.
Developer Bond Companies, which touts the building as “Bucktown’s last lofts,” is transforming the complex into 95 loft condos with one to three bedrooms and adding a landscaped courtyard, rooftop terrace and exercise room. Like all good lofts, the units will have 12- to 14-foot ceiling heights, exposed brick, concrete ceilings and exposed concrete columns. Prices start in the $300s.
