After over 40 years of vacancy after Sears, Roebuck & Company’s moved out of their Catalog Printing Building at 3301 West Arthington and Spaulding, Mercy Housing Lakefront with architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz have completed the Lofts on Arthington, a $65 million adaptive reuse and renovation of the six-story historic warehouse building. Located in the Homan Square neighborhood of North Lawndale, the development is another important step forward for the neighborhood and for the adaptive reuse of the extensive Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s campus. The historic campus was largely vacated over time following the completion of Sears Tower in downtown Chicago in 1973.

The development includes 181 loft-style affordable apartments; many are large and airy with soaring 16 to 18 foot ceilings and ample natural light from huge windows. Particular case was taken to restore the historic front lobby with its marble baseboards, the original floors, and restored elevator doors.

Having taken over seven years to complete, Preservation Chicago applauds Mercy Housing Lakefront for their outstanding development, for their ongoing commitment to Chicago’s historic architecture, and for providing high-quality, much needed affordable housing. This building, along with other structures on the Sears Campus, are Designated Chicago Landmarks.

Preservation Chicago remains very concerned about the future of the largely vacant Administration Building, as well as the AllState Insurance Building (Chicago 7 2013) which is empty and exposed to the elements.