Central Station, Chicago Explained

Central Station, Chicago
Settlement Type:Neighborhood
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:City
Subdivision Name1:Chicago
Subdivision Type2:Community area
Subdivision Name2:Near South Side, Chicago
Established Title:First settled
Established Date:1990
Population Footnotes:[1]
Postal Code Type:ZIP code

Central Station is a residential development project in the South Loop[2] section of Chicago, Illinois. Originally planned as a 69acres development, it was later expanded to 72acres,[3] and is now 80acres.[4] Being planned by the city government, it encompasses the former rail yards and air space rights east of Michigan Avenue between Roosevelt Road and 18th Street.

Background

Formerly, Central Station was an intercity passenger terminal in downtown Chicago, located at the southern end of Grant Park at Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue, which is the northwest corner of the new neighborhood. The neighborhood is evolving according to a City of Chicago planned development.

Planned development

Central Station had been a warehouse district prior to the planned development led by Gerald W. Fogelson, founder and president of Fogelson Companies and co-chairman and CEO of the Central Station Development Corporation. Redevelopment began in 1990.[3] In 1994, Central Station started to take its residential shape with the construction of luxury townhomes.[5] More recently, this lakefront neighborhood has experienced rapid construction of more luxury townhomes, high-rise condominiums, apartments and retail stores. Fogelson proposed a plan to overhaul the warehouse district with a modern residential district and has successfully acquired the property and subcontracted residential, and mixed-use development.

Museum Park at Central Station is one of the largest of the subcontracted developments. It is a complex of multiple residential towers within the Central Station development at the southern edge of Grant Park, across Lake Shore Drive from Chicago's Museum Campus. It includes One Museum Park and One Museum Park West as well as Museum Park Place, Museum Park Club, Museum Park Towers I-IV, Museum Park Lofts I & II, 1400 Museum Park and luxury townhomes. Other developments in Central Station include Lakeside Tower at 1600 South Indiana. In 2006, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance, a non-profit organization was formed to provide representation for thousands of South Loop residents, which includes Central Station and Museum Park.[6] In 2017, One Grant Park began construction near Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue.[7]

Among the earliest residents of the newly redeveloped Central Station was the now-former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

External links

41.8622°N -87.6206°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chinatown: A 'hidden jewel' worth seeking. August 11, 2009. Chicago Tribune. June 26, 2009. Laffey, Mary Lu.
  2. Web site: Forest City to sell Central Station land. September 5, 2012.
  3. McClendon, Dennis, Near South Side, p. 563, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004 The Encyclopedia of Chicago. The University of Chicago Press,
  4. Web site: Handley, John. Chicago Tribune. 1, Real Estate Section. Looking south - Construction in the South Loop is booming, but buyers are taking their time . July 9, 2006. January 5, 2010.
  5. Web site: Museum Park Sales Center . Four Decades of Commitment to Your Future . January 15, 2007 .
  6. Web site: About Us. March 2, 2009. PDNAChicago.com.
  7. News: Viñoly tower breaks ground and gets new name: One Grant Park - Archpaper.com . Messner . Matthew . The Architect's Newspaper . 2017-10-29 . en-US.