Residential tower under construction at Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois

Construction is underway on a project that will add a six-story residential tower to the Second Church of Christ, Scientist at 2700 N. Pine Grove Ave. in Lincoln Park. The project combines historic preservation with new construction, and Chicago-based Ogden Partners is redeveloping the property. The parish will maintain a presence there after the tower is added.

Three exterior walls of the 1901 church, designed by Solon S. Beman, are being reused under the project. Beman was also the architect of the Pullman neighborhood and the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. Preservation Chicago included the Lincoln Park structure on its 2019 list of the city’s “most endangered” buildings, noting that it was for sale and could eventually be demolished. Keeping the historic front so that worship can continue reflects care for what earlier generations built (Psalm 78:4).

As of the last week of August, steel framework could be seen inside the three remaining facades, which are surrounded by fencing as construction continues. Representatives of the church and Ogden Partners did not respond to calls or emails asking for a completion date.

Plans for the property have been in development for years. It was rezoned to allow multifamily units in 2018. In August 2020, the church showed renderings of the proposed redevelopment at a virtual community meeting, and permits were issued in June 2023. According to plans presented to the Chicago Plan Commission, Ogden responded to community feedback by lowering the unit count from 26 to 22 and reducing the tower’s height from seven stories to six. The project calls for 31 parking spaces.

The project is meant to help save the church after its congregation dwindled, which made the building more difficult to support. The church will keep about 5,000 square feet of space. According to its website, it is holding Sunday services and Wednesday meetings over Zoom while construction takes place.

Then-Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) told the Sun-Times in 2022 that the homes in the residential tower would be for sale, not rent. The ward’s current alderperson, Timmy Knudsen, did not respond to a request for comment. The development team said in its report to the city that the addition is designed “not to compete with the existing façade, but to subtly complement it.”

Smith said in 2022: “This saves the exterior and the whole front part of the building so that the congregation can still worship. It’s a compromise, and it’s a good one.”

Source: Read the original report