“A residential conversion is being planned for a former hotel at 601 W. Diversey in Lincoln Park. Planned by Validus Capital, the vacant hotel building stands at the southwest corner of W. Diversey Pkwy and N. Lehmann Ct and has been dormant for years.
“Designed by SPACE Architects + Planners, the adaptive reuse and conversion will see the construction of 40 new apartments within the existing structure as well as a small retail space. There will be zero parking spaces as the adjacent parking lot is not included in the project and 40 bike parking spaces will be provided for residents.
“To allow for the scope of the project, the developer is seeking zoning variations from the Zoning Board of Appeals, including a variation to reduce the number of required off street parking spaces from forty to zero, a variation to reduce the required 10′ x 25′ loading spaces from one to zero, and a special use to allow residential below the second floor.
“To allow for the scope of the project, the developer had sought to rezone from B3-2 to B2-5. With City Council approval secured, the developer can move forward with permitting and construction.” (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 4/7/25)
Preservation Chicago had been advocating for the preservation of 601 W. Diversey for over a decade through multiple proposals for demolition and replacement. We applaud the developer, Validus Capital, for adding 40 new residential units to Lincoln Park through the adaptive reuse of a historic building.
Preservation Chicago support the easing of zoning regulations to make the reuse of historic buildings easier and more attractive to developers. This redevelopment requires a zoning variation which required time, cost and risk. Developers often build to the existing zoning envelope and thresholds so that their developments are “as of right” and therefore not subject to zoning related complications.