South Branch

South Branch is currently a struggling industrial area characterized by under-used docks on the north side of the south branch of the Chicago River near its original source, Chicago’s notorious Bubbly Creek. In conjunction with Chicago 2109’s larger water ambitions (which includes the clean-up and restoration of Bubbly Creek), Michael Geller’s project proposes a new water court as the formal center of a mixed-use neighborhood within walking distance of active warehouses served by a network of new canals and existing freight lines; and is animated by his desire to demonstrate how light industry can be re-integrated into the fabric of a working class Chicago neighborhood.