Wolcott Apartments

East Village, Chicago, IL

With Chicago East Village Landmark District approval, a neglected historic four unit apartment building on an oversized lot was gutted, the basement underpinned, and the interior completely renovated, deconverting it into three spacious units. An ICF addition housing three new units was constructed on adjacent land to create a total of six contemporary apartments. The addition’s front façade utilizes common brick reclaimed from a garage demolished at the rear yard. The façade sets back from the historic context to preserve a long standing garden.

Both structures are super insulated to significantly reduce energy consumption, and a geothermal system provides heating and cooling.  The building is Energy Star Certified, performing 53% better than code, with a HERS rating of 47.