City announces winner of Pershing Road RFP

A $121 million project that includes mixed-income housing, commercial offices and retail space was announced as the winner of a Chicago Department of Planning and Development Request for Proposals to redevelop a historic city-owned property in McKinley Park. The project site at 1769 W. Pershing measures approximately 6.5 acres.

Planned by IBT Group LLC, the project will repurpose a vacant 571,000-square-foot warehouse known as the Quartermaster Depot, which was built in 1918 for the U.S. Army. The six-story structure, featuring 90,000-square-foot floor plates and located within McKinley Park’s Central Manufacturing District complex, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Designed by Epstein, the rehab will remove a center section of the building to create two partially detached structures with a shared interior courtyard. One structure will include 120 mixed-income apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. The other will become a 200,445-square-foot innovative office hub and technology incubator. Approximately 120 parking spaces and rooftop amenities will serve tenants and visitors of both structures. The facade and other historic elements of the complex will be preserved and restored.

The eastern portion of the site, which currently contains a one-story City maintenance facility, will be redeveloped as a 50,000-square-foot grocery store. Approximately 130 parking spaces will be available for store patrons and workers.

"The Pershing Road project is an example of how innovative thinking and design can breathe new life into our historic spaces, while expanding affordable housing opportunities for Chicagoans," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "I look forward to the potential this project holds to revitalize the McKinley Park community, including plans for mixed-income housing, a grocery store, and office space to benefit neighbors and create jobs." 

The development site is valued at approximately $6.7 million, minus environmental remediation costs that are yet to be determined. The developer’s anticipated request for city support could include up to $25 million in TIF funding pending formal review and approval processes that include City Council review. ARCO/Murray and Englewood Construction will lead the construction once approved.