Northwest Railway Terminal

(photo courtesy of Chicago Sage)

Rehab full steam ahead


For decades, the vintage Northwest Railway Terminal Powerhouse at 211 N. Clinton has been both heralded as the historic “cornerstone” of the West Loop Mercantile District and disparaged as a neighborhood eyesore. But although the Beaux Arts building and its distinctive nine-story smokestack have clearly suffered from over 30 years of abandonment, it now appears ready to reap the benefits of an ever-burgeoning West Loop real estate market.

The building, which was officially declared a city landmark at a Nov. 2 meeting of the city’s Landmarks Commission, is now undergoing an $11 million makeover that is expected to wrap up sometime in June of next year. The building was purchased by Structured Development last year, and the company is now planning to convert the structure into retail space and offices, according to Jeff Berta, Structured Development director of program management.
...Berta added that the company is hoping to lease the retail space to a restaurant. The project will also feature underground parking. And, he said, the distinctive smoke stack atop the building will remain intact.
....
Construction of the Powerhouse began in 1909, and the structure remains “the best surviving building of the once sprawling Chicago & North Western Railway Terminal Complex built in the years just before World War I,” according to a Department of Planning and Development report. The building provided power to a neighboring railway terminal for over 50 years.

I'm looking for a better photo, but here is one view. I've always thought this was an interesting building.

(click for larger view)

Tags: architecture, /Chicago