LAWSON HOUSE

JEWEL OF THE GOLD COAST

Built in 1931, the YMCA’s Lawson House was the largest single room occupancy building outside of New York City with 583 rooms. Farr Associates is leading the extensive design and green renovation process to modernize and convert the Art Deco building into 409 affordable apartments.

Each unit will include a private kitchenette with accessible countertop heights, private bathrooms with accessible shower seats, and air conditioning. Supportive services will be provided on-site for individuals with special needs and at-risk homelessness.

This monumental historic renovation received the largest single allocation of LIHTC (Low Income Housing Tax Credits) funding in Illinois history.

The project’s Integrated Design Workshop tackled several important design issues, including phasing strategies for construction that will occur while the building is occupied by residents, and how to best address building envelope efficiency.

The project is one of seven Living Building Challenge (LBC) Affordable Housing pilots chosen in 2015. The pilot is meant to further explore, test, and develop strategies to assist affordable housing developers in overcoming social, regulatory, and financial barriers to achieving LBC certification. The Lawson House project will share insights learned throughout the design and construction process with LBC and other affordable housing developers.

Client: Holsten Real Estate Development

Location: Chicago, IL

Project Area: 250,000 GSF

Role: Architect of Record

Certifications:

Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot
LEED Gold (Target)

Collaborators:
Walsh Construction: General Contractor
dbHMS: MEP Engineer
CEA&A: Structural Engineer
Klein & Hoffman: Building Forensics
Terra Engineering: Civil Engineer
site design group: Landscape Architecture
Shen Milsom & Wilke: Acoustics
Jenkins & Huntington, Inc.: Transportation Consultant
Jenson Hughes: Code Consultant
MacRostie Historic Advisors: Consultant
Wiss, Janey, Elstner Associates: Conservator
RDH: Building Envelope
ArchiTect: Architectural Specifications

Year Completed: 2024

Located at Dearborn and Chicago, Lawson House's prominent Gold Coast location positions occupants to access critical city infrastructure and services. The building originally opened in 1931 as a city in a block to provide amenities to residents as part of their rent. The rehabilitated building aims to do the same with on-site social services, community spaces, and community focused retail.
Image: Kai Brown Photography

Lawson House: Lobby

Lawson House: Gymnasium

Lawson House: Residential Unit Front Door

Lawson House: Kitchen

Lawson House: Residential Unit Bathroom

Lawson House: Residential Corridor

Lawson House: Rooftop

Lawson House: Acoustics

A signature art deco facade needs periodic upkeep to preserve limestone, marble, terra cotta and granite elements. A thorough inspection, complete with 100% tuckpointing of all masonry, occurred. The Jewel of the Gold Coast will shine on for another 90 years.
Image: Kai Brown Photography

Lawson House: New Elevator Lobby

Farr’s Architectural Designer Tucker Touchette observing the new elevator shaft.

Lawson House: Residential Corridor

Drywall is up, pre-skim coat, and waiting for the ceiling to be installed.

Lawson House: Residential Corridor

Drywall and skim coat in-progress.

Lawson House: Residential Corridor

Fresh paint!

Lawson House: Residential Unit Bathroom

A residential unit with self-leveling compound applied to the concrete floor. Existing buildings/renovations projects face challenges at times and some of Lawson’s concrete flooring was damaged and not level. The leveling compound is used to remove imperfections in the concrete floor to provide an accessible smooth, flat surface.

Lawson House: Residential Bathroom

Lawson House was formerly a single-room occupancy residence with communal restrooms on each floor. Now, the refurbished units include a private, ADA accessible bathroom, seen here with poured epoxy resin flooring and tile finish.

Lawson House: Elevators

The original working elevator motors and mechanical equipment that hoist, roll, and pull the elevator up the shaft.

Lawson House: Log Cabin Room

A touch of rustic in the middle of Downtown Chicago—the Log Cabin Room was originally used for Boy Scout meetings. The room will be cleaned and refurbished into office space.

Lawson House: Chapel

The Chapel held services for decades at the YMCA. The hand painted ceiling tiles will be refurbished or replaced to match their original quality.

Press for Lawson House

Block Club Chicago: Sneak Peek At Lawson House YMCA Renovation, Bringing 400 Apartments To Gold Coast In 2024

Chicago YIMBY: Renovation Work In Full Swing For Lawson House Renovation In Near North Side

Chicago Sun-Times: City loan eases path for Lawson House renovation

City of Chicago: New Ordinance Would Preserve 406 Units of Affordable Housing at Historic Art Deco Lawson House