84 Apartments Planned For Landmark IIT Building
The main building of the Illinois Institute of Technology, a designated Chicago landmark that was on Preservation Chicago's 2015 "Chicago 7" list of endangered buildings, will be converted into student housing under a new proposal.
IIT and partner MCM Co are seeking a zoning change to convert the offices at 3300 S Federal into 84 apartments. The building was built by architects Patten & Fisher in 1893. Its construction was funded by meatpacking magnate Philip Armour. Originally intended to house classrooms, the building fell into neglect with IIT's campus expansion under Mies van der Rohe. IIT issued an RFP seeking ideas for adaptive reuse, DNAInfo reports.
The building's interior needs work, but details such as stained-glass windows celebrating the Armours, a wrought-iron staircase and a top-floor model railroad are still intact. [DNA]
