Historic 1920s Skyscraper To Change Forever in Milestone Transformation
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. One of Chicago's most historic skyscrapers—the Pittsfield Building—is entering a new chapter.
The 38-story Gothic Revival tower, completed in 1927, is being transformed from largely office space into hundreds of apartments, in what is described as one of the largest historic terra cotta façade restorations in the United States.
Located at the corner of Washington Street and Wabash Avenue in the heart of Chicago’s busy Loop, the tower was among the tallest buildings in the city when it opened and helped define the city's emerging skyline in the 1920s.
Originally designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White, the Pittsfield Building became known for housing doctors' and dentists' offices.
Today, it is being reimagined as a mixed-use residential complex. According to Pappageorge Haymes Partners, the Chicago-based architectural firm leading the restoration, the project will add 214 new apartments, including affordable housing, to the building's existing 228 residential units.
The Pittsfield Building transformation is among a growing number of adaptive reuse projects.
Among the most recent high-profile conversions has been New York City’s Flatiron Building, one of the world’s earliest skyscrapers and among the city’s most iconic architectural landmarks. The 307-foot-tall, 24-story tower, built in 1902, is also being converted into private residences . The building’s transformation marked a major milestone in June, when its façade was lit for the first time in its 124-year history .
The Pittsfield Building's exterior is one of its defining features. The building is clad in polished black granite at street level and gray terra cotta above, with Gothic ornamentation concentrated around its lower floors, setbacks, and tower crown.
As of June, restoration work had already begun.
"The extensive multi-million dollar exterior masonry and terra cotta restoration effort at the Pittsfield has begun, and construction is now underway," architect Robert Harris, a senior associate at Pappageorge Haymes Partners, told Newsweek .
He added that interior demolition work would soon begin as preparations advanced for the office-to-residential conversion.
Harris said the building's façade "represents one of the finest remaining terracotta clad high-rise examples of the era" and is currently undergoing one of the largest terra cotta restoration projects in the country.
The property's landmark status is central to the project. Harris noted that the Pittsfield is both a City of Chicago Landmark and part of a downtown historic district, while also pursuing National Historic Landmark status. Those designations require preserving many of the building's most important historic features, including its façade, entry lobbies, atrium, and common corridors.
Among the building's most remarkable surviving features are its ornate, hand-painted coffered ceilings, cast-bronze elevator doors, and intricate marble finishes. Harris said these elements showcase a level of craftsmanship that would be extraordinarily difficult to reproduce today.
"One of the most fascinating aspects of historic buildings of this era and earlier is that they were designed and constructed to such a high level of intricacy and quality without the benefit of so many modern technologies we have now come to rely on today," he said.
While the architects continue refining aspects of the interior design, Harris said the historic elements will be restored and preserved, serving as inspiration for new design features introduced as part of the conversion.
Harris explained that the original builders achieved remarkable results through both design excellence and exceptional craftsmanship. Modern digital tools now help bridge that gap, allowing architects and contractors to coordinate old and new construction in ways that were previously impossible.
"The ability to accurately scan and model the existing historic elements of the building, while also modeling the new program elements and systems in 3D...allows the team to visualize and coordinate historic and new work in real-time to a level simply not possible in the past," Harris said.
Transforming a century-old office tower into housing presents significant challenges. Harris said the project must strike a careful balance between preserving the building's historic integrity and creating residences that can compete with newly constructed apartments.
The conversion will involve modernizing windows, elevators, and building systems, along with new amenities such as fitness facilities, community spaces, and roof deck features. At the same time, the project must protect historic architectural elements and integrate them thoughtfully.
Harris described the project as a "unique and inspirational challenge," with the broader vision for the building entailing a mix of various uses. This could include a subterranean speakeasy, retail spaces, restaurants, event venues, a public museum, and a rooftop observation deck, in addition to the new apartments.
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Sam Wilson .
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