Structured Development saves landmark ‘Powerhouse’ building 

By Stacie Johnson 

Another of Chicago's historically significant structures has been saved, and the developers responsible for reviving it received a prestigious honor for doing so.

            The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, also known as Landmarks Illinois, recognized Structured Development LLC for rehabilitating the 35,000 square foot Northwest Railway Terminal Powerhouse at 211 N. Clinton St. in the city’s Mercantile District.

            The company’s director of program management, Jeff Berta, said the Landmarks Illinois award "goes along with the work we’ve been doing. It validates our vision for a project that’s mostly about doing the right thing—turning it into a functioning, usable asset."

Berta said the project began in 2004 after the firm’s founders, Daniel Lukas and J. Michael Drew, toured the building when it went up for auction.

            “It had been vacant for 40 years,” Berta said. “It belonged to Union Pacific up until ten years ago, and after them it basically traded hands among developers until it was auctioned off in 2004,” when Structured Development acquired it. The company began pre-construction shortly after, working on a new design and on the national landmarking process. Berta came on staff and began managing the project in 2005.

            “We faced many challenges, but the main challenge was the concept,” Berta recalled. “It was a building with four walls and a roof. We had to build a building within a building…a structure within an existing one.”

            Even with all the necessary revisions, this early 1900s Beaux Arts building will retain what it is best known for—its 225-foot smokestack.

"During construction we had to find a way to comply with the various requirements of the National Park Service, which oversees the landmarking process," Berta said. "This was in addition to Chicago’s requirements for landmarking. Also, we had to work with Union Pacific rails, which go over the building.”

            During this process, the firm worked closely with various local and preservation groups to complete the project, but not one opposed their plans or work on the rehab.

            “We had strong backing from everyone,” Berta noted. “Especially [former] Alderman Natarus, of the 42nd Ward, and from the Fulton River District Neighborhood Association. They have given us 100% support from the word 'go.' They have wanted to see a defunct structure rehabilitated and used for something. And they’ve been totally pleased with it. The reactions we get from them and others, I think, is why we have been recognized with this award.”

            Landmarks Illinois presented the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Use to Structured Development on Oct. 27. Through this annual award, the Driehaus Foundation honors individuals, organizations, projects, and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation.

            A year after the rehabilitation concluded, the new Powerhouse is at 75% occupancy, and Structured Development is one of the tenants. The building has two levels of office space, and the first floor will hold a restaurant, café, and bar.

            Structured Development now is busy with two other mixed-use developments, both expected to be completed in 2008. The first is a 225,000 square foot retail and commercial use development that will house the British School of America, medical offices, and retailers. The second is a joint development with Commonfund Realty, a Connecticut firm, to convert the one million square feet that once housed the New City YMCA to residential and retail space; construction will begin this spring.

The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois is a 2,000-member statewide organization for historic preservation. Founded more than 30 years ago, it has saved several architectural and historic treasures throughout the state.

            For more information on the Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award or Landmarks Illinois, visit www.landmarks.org. For information on Structured Development LLC, visit www.strdev.com.