Controversial Old Town Hotel Project Approved

Drawing of 1520 North Wells

A controversial hotel project proposed for 1520 North Wells Street in Old Town has been approved by the Chicago Plan Commission.

If you subscribe to our Twitter or Facebook feeds, you were among the first to know about the approval in City Hall Thursday morning.  The project will raze a surface parking lot, the O’Brien’s Restaurant, and another building next door in favor of a 13-story hotel with 190 rooms facing Wells Street, and  four single-family residences out back, facing Wieland Avenue.

Neighbors believe the hotel is too large for its location, and will bring too much activity to the already busy, but quaint, Wells Street corridor.

Here’s the firehose:

• Address: 1520 North Wells Street
• Address: 1513 North Weiland Street
• Architecture firm: Pappageorge Haymes
• Hotel building size: 118,400 square feet
• Hotel height: 154 feet
• Hotel floors: 13 + mechanical penthouse
• Hotel width: 113 feet
• Hotel length: 125 feet
• Hotel rooms: 190
• New homes size: 4,175 square feet each
• New homes floors: three
• New homes height: 47 feet
• Hotel parking: 45 spaces
• Hotel bicycle parking: 6 spaces
• Hotel loading docks: One
• Hotel terraces: 2nd floor, 3rd floor, 8th floor, 12th floor
• Hotel lobby access: Via Wells Street
• Hotel parking garage access: Via Wells Street
• Sidewalk clock to be preserved
• Stone and brick facade
• Green roof alert!

from Chicago Architecture http://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2016/06/17/controversial-old-town-hotel-project-approved/