“The City Council on Wednesday paved the way for a new affordable apartment complex in Rogers Park and a dispensary in West Ridge. The projects were approved during the council’s Wednesday meeting after getting greenlit earlier this month by the city’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards.

“The other portion of the project involves adaptively reusing the Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse at 7613 N. Paulina St. to add 20 apartments. The development would include 28 parking spaces and 80 bike parking spots. The storage warehouse, built in the 1920s and known for its terra cotta facade, has been on the radar of local preservationists for years.

“The initial plans had also called for replacing the Werner building, once considered one of the most endangered historic buildings in the city. Those plans were changed to preserve and reuse the building. (Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 5/20/26)

“The Chicago Plan Commission approved plans to restore and convert the historic building into apartments and add an eight-story mixed-use building next door.

“Housing For All and Visionary Ventures are leading the project alongside JTE Real Estate.

“The partners plan to demolish a one-story building next to the Werner Brothers structure, 7613 N. Paulina St., to make way for the eight-story building. Inside the Werner, the developers will keep the historic two-story lobby and convert the rest of the property into apartments.

“Therese Thompson, vice president at architecture firm Cordogan, Clark & Associates, said said the brick and terra cotta on the Werner building will be cleaned and tuckpointed as part of the redevelopment. Two heavily damaged pieces of terra cotta will be replaced.

“The 1920s building, designed by George S. Kingsley, has an intricate terra cotta design and was on Preservation Chicago’s 2023 list of most endangered buildings.

“Thompson praised the building’s ‘quite elaborate’ terra cotta facade, saying the project’s drawings don’t do it justice.” (Miller, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/16/26)

Preservation Chicago applauds developer Shelly Tucciarelli of Housing For All/Visionary Ventures for reconsidering the adaptive reuse of the Werner Brothers Storage Building. Additionally, we applaud 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden and community members who strongly advocated for a preservation-sensitive alternative for this development.

The planned adaptive reuse of the ornate 1921 Werner Bros. building into residential is a beautiful blend of affordable housing and historic preservation. Preservation Chicago strongly supports this effort.

Preservation Chicago believes affordable housing and historic preservation are powerfully symbiotic and mutually beneficial. We consider Werner Brothers Storage Building to be an ideal candidate for affordable housing adaptive reuse. Historic preservation is highly compatible with affordable housing and we strongly encouraged the reuse and incorporation of this beautiful historic structure, particularly its terra cotta cladding, into the new construction.

Preservation Chicago also believes that affordable housing and transit-oriented development are necessary components of healthy communities. Through collaboration between the local community, developers, and preservationists, we are confident that both goals of providing affordable housing and retaining historic architecture can be met, resulting in an even more successful and dynamic project and more vibrant communities.

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times and Block Club Chicago

• Rogers Park Affordable Apartments, West Ridge Dispensary Approved By City Council, Plans for affordable apartments near the Howard Red Line station are moving forward, as is a proposal to open West Ridge’s first dispensary, Madison Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 5/20/26
• City Council approves affordable development at 7605 N. Paulina, The mixed-use development will have 80 affordable units and retail space,  Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 6/2/26
• Revamp of Rogers Park’s Werner Brothers building notches first city approval; The 1920s building will be redeveloped into affordable housing, with 80 units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, Abby Miller, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/16/26
• Plan Commission approves development at 7605 N. Paulina; The mixed-use development will have 80 affordable units and retail space, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 4/20/26
• Revamp of Werner Brothers building in Rogers Park to start next year; The 1920s building will be redeveloped into affordable housing. It was on Preservation Chicago’s list of the city’s most endangered buildings in 202+3, Abby Miller, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/28/25
• Howard Street Affordable Housing Project Reduces Units, Adds Height In Revised Plans; The plans originally called for more than 100 affordable apartments on the corner lot at Howard and Paulina streets, Madison Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 10/24/24
• Workforce housing at 7603 N. Paulina misses out on funding; The developers will be reapplying and reorganizing the project phasing, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 9/29/23
• Howard Street Affordable Housing Development Switches Up Plans After Missing Out On Tax Credits; The project would bring over 100 affordable apartments to the corner of Howard and Paulina streets, across from the Howard Red Line station, Joe Ward, Block Club Chicago, 10/10/23