“A South Side development company is proposing to renovate a former all-girls Catholic school in Woodlawn into dozens of affordable apartments.

“Greenline Communities and 5T Development Partners have proposed a 55-unit redevelopment of the former Loretto Academy, 1435 E. 65th St. in Woodlawn. The Lofts at Loretto Academy would include four studios, 40 one-bedrooms and 11 two-bedrooms, all of which would be affordable to low-income residents.

“The development is projected to be completed ‘by 2029 or sooner,’ at an estimated cost of $43 million, the developers said. The developers intend to pursue about $16 million in equity from the low-income credits, which are funded by the federal government and administered by the city. They’ll also seek about $19.5 million in city funds, $6.1 million in federal historic tax credits, state historic credits and deferred developer fees, Greenline managing partner Mark Buford said.

“Loretto Academy, Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Woodlawn-Chicago opened in 1906 as the sister school to Mount Carmel High School, an all-boys school which continues to operate a block north on 64th Street.

“Loretto Academy became known in the mid-20th century for its lack of a quota on Black students — which nearby schools implemented — while its founding order, the Sisters of Loretto, was active in the Civil Rights Movement, according to Preservation Chicago.

“The school closed in the 1970s and was sold to Rev. Leon Finney’s Woodlawn Community Development Corporation. The building was on Preservation Chicago’s list of the city’s “most endangered” buildings of 2019. (Evans, Block Club Chicago, 1/5/26)

The building dates back to 1905 and features Flemish Revival–style architecture. It served as a school until 1972 before becoming a treatment center, which operated until 2012. After that, the building sat vacant and was sold at a foreclosure auction in 2019, later securing a spot on Preservation Chicago’s most endangered list. Now, it will be preserved and repurposed as affordable housing in the rapidly changing area. (Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 1/6/26)

Preservation Chicago fully supports the potential restoration and adaptive reuse of Loretto Academy as affordable housing. This is an ideal use for a building that has suffered from many years of deferred maintenance, vacant, and neglect. We have been advocating for the reuse of Loretto Academy since it became a Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago and Chicago YIMBY

• Old Loretto Academy School Building In Woodlawn Could Become Affordable Housing; Greenline Communities is proposing a 55-unit, $43 million rehab of the former Catholic school. The project depends on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, 1/5/26
• Affordable Housing Conversion Proposed For Former Loretto Academy In Woodlawn, Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 1/6/26
• Affordable housing proposed for vacant Loretto Academy, Elena Tittel, Hyde Park Herald, 1/29/26 
• Vacant Loretto Academy Poised To Become Woodlawn Apartments If City Signs Off, Damon R. Sheffield, Hoodline, 1/6/26
• Loretto Academy / Institute of the Blessed Virgin, A 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered