A long-quiet Tri-Taylor landmark is officially getting a second life. On Thursday, the Chicago City Council approved plans to convert the former Precious Blood church and school at 2401 West Congress Parkway into 52 apartments. The project is the first half of a two-phase effort from local developer 4Corners LLC that, paired with a new building next door, will bring roughly 110 units to the block. The council’s vote clears the way for the adaptive reuse plan to move on to permits and, eventually, construction.
The approval rezones the property from RT-3.5 to B2-3 and opens the door for a four-story adaptive reuse design by local firm Kennedy Mann that tucks 52 units into the existing structure. The plan keeps the building’s main entrances, raises the ground floor into a large lobby and lounge, and provides 24 bicycle parking spaces while offering no on-site car parking, according to Urbanize Chicago.
The apartments will be a mix of 34 studios and 18 one-bedrooms, with 11 units slated as affordable housing. The proposal also calls for rehabbing the red-brick exterior, adding a handful of new windows, and building out a lower level that will hold a small fitness room and bike room for residents, as reported by Chicago YIMBY.
Preservationists Praise Reuse, Worry About Rectory
Preservation Chicago has labeled the project a “partial win,” applauding the reuse of the main school building while sounding the alarm over the adjacent Mediterranean-style rectory at 2411 West Congress, which is set to be demolished instead of saved. The group argues that losing the rectory would chip away at the site’s historic fabric, even as the broader development delivers much-needed housing to the Near West Side, according to Preservation Chicago.
Neighboring Building Also Approved
In a separate vote, the City Council also signed off on a five-story replacement building at 2411 West Congress Parkway. That project will add 58 units, including 20 studios, 30 one-bedrooms, and eight two-bedrooms, along with a 25-space parking garage and private balconies on the upper floors, according to Chicago YIMBY. Taken together, the conversion and the new construction will bring about 110 apartments to the block, turning a relatively quiet stretch near the Eisenhower Expressway into a noticeably denser residential pocket.
Permits, Timeline, and What Comes Next
With rezoning in place, 4Corners LLC can now pivot to permit applications, although neither the developer nor the design team has released a construction timeline or cost estimate. Urbanize Chicago notes that these approvals are the final step before permitting, and observers say details on phasing and start dates will likely emerge only after permits are filed.
