“The Chicago City Council has approved a mixed-use development at 3240 W. Lawrence in Albany Park. Planned by APZ Holdings LLC, the project site is located midblock between N. Sawyer Ave and N. Spaulding Ave. The building was constructed in approximately 1916 as a fireproof storage warehouse and will be kept and converted for the development.

“Designed by Red Architects, the adaptive reuse will convert the five-story structure into a mixed-use building with approximately 2,000 square feet of retail space and 26 residential units. There will be zero car parking spaces and 26 bike parking spaces in the building. The height and footprint of the existing building will remain without change.

“On the ground floor, the retail space will front W. Lawrence Ave with a residential entry accessed from W. Lawrence Ave. Two residential units will also occupy a portion of the ground floor facing the back of the site.

“With City Council approval secured, the site will be rezoned from B1-2 to B2-5 to allow for the scope of the project. The developer can now move forward with permitting and construction.” (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 6/20/26)

Preservation Chicago has supported this adaptive reuse project since its initial proposal in September 2025. We applaud APZ Holdings, Red Architects, Ald. Rodriguez, and the Chicago City Council for guiding this project through to approval.

Lawrence Avenue’s rich collection of early twentieth-century commercial and mixed-use architecture, much of it clad in the decorative terra cotta that makes Chicago storefronts so distinctive, deserves exactly this kind of stewardship. Adaptive reuse here is not just a preservation win; it sets a standard for how the corridor can grow and densify while honoring what makes it so visually and architecturally significant. “Terra Cotta Buildings Throughout Chicago” was a Preservation Chicago 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered.

The building at 3240 W. Lawrence designed by architect J.H. Duneford is part of the storied David Fireproof Storage Warehouse Company, one of Chicago’s most prolific early-twentieth-century warehouse builders. The company constructed utilitarian but architecturally distinguished storage facilities across the city during the 1910s and 1920s, including the building at 2616-18 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square, known today as Grace’s Furniture, which is itself undergoing an exciting adaptive reuse. These structures share a common architectural vocabulary: reinforced concrete and brick construction, decorative terracotta detailing, and a robust massing built for longevity. The Albany Park branch on Lawrence Avenue, built in 1916, is a fine example of the type — and its brick and terracotta facade will be preserved in place, with enlarged windows that will open up the upper floors to light and air without compromising the building’s historic character.

The location is ideal for the transit-oriented, car-free approach the project embraces: the building sits just steps from the CTA Brown Line Kimball station, the western terminus of one of Chicago’s most-used rail lines. Zero car parking and 26 bike spaces align with the realities of how Albany Park residents move through the city. The inclusion of five affordable units within the 26-unit total, while modest, ensures the project contributes to the neighborhood’s housing diversity.

Read the full story at Urbanize Chicago

• City Council approves development at 3240 W. Lawrence; The storage building will be converted into retail and 26 apartments, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 6/20/26
• City Council Approves Residential Conversion In Albany Park; Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 6/21/26
• Ald. Rodriguez Announces Support for Mixed-Use Development at 3240 W. Lawrence; Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 2/7/26
• Alderwoman Approves Residential Conversion Of Fireproof Warehouse; Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 2/8/26
• Mixed-use development proposed at 3240 W. Lawrence; Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 9/19/25
• WIN: Aldermanic Support for Adaptively Reuse of David Fireproof Storage Warehouse at 3240 W. Lawrence for Residential; Preservation Chicago, 1/31/26
• WIN: David Fireproof Storage Warehouse at 3240 W. Lawrence Will Be Adaptively Reused for Residential; Preservation Chicago, 9/30/25