Current needs required a reorganization of the office and staff areas to increase efficiency and reclaim some valuable floor space for a larger museum gift shop and lecture auditorium. Avatar's role required close communication with the Museum's staff, floor plans, project phasing and cost estimating.
On the site of a former manufacturing concern, this 5-Acre project met a long-held community goal of creating a 2-Acre public park along an obsolete urban manufacturing corridor while fostering positive redevelopment of underused property. In addition to the park, the plan consists of 28 single family lots, two six-flat apartment buildings and city standard streets, parkways and alleys. By combining the re-establishment of a city street grid with common Chicago lot configurations, better than a third of the property was set aside for Public use without adversely affecting the commercial value of the remaining property.
Paulina Homes Chicago, Illinois
Old Post Office Place Chicago, Illinois
Spanning the Eisenhower Express-way, Chicago’s old Main Post Office is a landmark gateway between downtown and the western suburbs. At the time of its completion in 1933, it was the largest postal facility in the world, enclosing 2.5 million square feet.
Avatar’s responsiblities were the planning and conceptual design for the restoration of the building’s historic features and its renovation to hotel, office, telecom, hotel, retail and parking during due diligence. Avatar worked with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, The National Park Service and the Chicago Planning Department to arrive at a financially feasible development program consistent with urban design guidelines and issues of historic preservation.
