Andy Rutz
Literally at the edges of the historic south-side neighborhoods of Gage Park, Brighton Park, and Back-of-the-Yards, Andy Rutz’s proposal makes both Western Boulevard and an existing CTA stop central to a new neighborhood of traditional Chicago residential blocks “protected” from the area’s historic industrial uses by proposed new flexible-use loft-buildings that front Western Boulevard. Both respecting and taking advantage of existing freight rail lines on 49th Street and their proximate light industrial destinations, the new loft buildings are urbane in the face they present to Western Boulevard but flexible enough to accommodate uses ranging from retail to residential to light manufacturing and assembly.