Demolition in River West makes space for 23-story apartment high-rise

Big changes are headed to the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Carpenter Street

A single-story commercial building in Chicago’s River West neighborhood is ready to bite the dust in order to clear room for a new 23-story mixed-use tower.

A permit green-lighting demolition of the low-rise masonry structure at 734 N. Milwaukee Avenue was issued this week and represents the latest sign that the corner’s high-rise replacement is moving forward. Developers Tandem Partners and Rambaud Holdings acquired the adjoining parcel at 1040 W. Huron Street for $11.4 million earlier this month.

The new glass and brick tower—which based on renderings could be branded as ‘The Mill’—was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in January.

Designed by Antunovich Associates, it will include 226 apartment units, 97 parking stalls, and 2,300 square feet of retail space. An existing 40,000-square-foot-office building immediately south of the tower will be incorporated to the development.

One of the first large-scale projects to fall under the City of Chicago’s revised Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) pilot program, the upcoming high-rise will set aside 45 of its units as affordable rate housing.

Steps from the CTA’s Blue Line the transit-oriented project joins a number of new developments headed to the immediate area. These include the completed 16-story Spoke apartments, a seven-story rental development proposed for 800 N. Milwaukee Avenue, and a 13-story residential project is slated for the corner of Aberdeen and Ogden.

The Mill aims to officially break ground later this year and wrap-up construction in late 2019.