UPTOWN — The owners of a long-vacant firehouse in Uptown, which they want to convert into four apartments, are seeking a key approval from the North Uptown Neighbors Association.
Flats Chicago, which has renovated several vintage buildings in Uptown over the past couple of years, on Wednesday presented a proposal for a zoning change to the NUNA block club at the office of Ald. James Cappleman (46th).
“I imagine bringing life back to the firehouse would be of interest to a lot of people,” Jay Michael, a Flats Chicago developer, said before the meeting.
Michael said plans for the 1920s, two-story red brick firehouse at 1217-19 W. Gunnison St. would require a zoning change from a single-unit structure to a multiunit building.
Plans show two-bedroom, two-bath apartments, new windows, doors and light fixtures. A second-floor balcony would be added to the back, according to the plans.
“We’re building it the way it should be built. It’s going to pay homage to the firehouse,” said Michael.
Cappleman's chief of staff, Tressa Feher, said because the project was less than $10 million, it was taken to the neighborhood group, which can approve, deny or make recommendations to the developer. Feher said as with all new developments, the alderman seeks the community’s input.
Lindsay Huge, an officer of the NUNA block club in charge of zoning and redevelopment, said he recently began presenting the proposal to neighbors to gauge interest and opinion.
Huge, who is also a member of two preservation organizations, said he spoke to one neighbor who has lived in the house next door to the vacant firehouse his entire life. The neighbor’s grandparents built the house in 1907.
“He said he was just glad some use was proposed for the building,” said Huge, who has lived in Uptown for more than 20 years. Huge said the neighborhood group generally approves of redevelopment of existing structures.
The firehouse, once home to Engine 83, reportedly was built in 1925-26 and closed in the late 1960s.
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