TOWN HALL APARTMENTS

Chicago, IL

Clients
Center on Halsted and Heartland Alliance

Recognition
LEED Gold
2015 Chicago Landmarks Preservation Excellence Award
2015 Illinois Housing Development Authority, Housing Champion-Development of the Year
2015 Urban Land Institute, Vision Award

Role
Design Principal in Charge; Owner's Representative
Gensler; Rubiostudio

The Town Hall Apartments is the first mixed-use, affordable senior housing facility dedicated to the LGBTQ community in Chicago. The Apartments offer this underrepresented population a place to thrive, a place to live with dignity, and to build a supportive community in a safe environment. The project's importance was underscored by a 2003 report by the Chicago Task Force on LGBTQ aging that found that of the estimated 40,000 LGBTQ adults over 55 living in Chicago, 1 in 5 live below the poverty line. The project just down the block from the Center on Halsted offers 79 residential units that have access to an adjacent community center with public and private functions, parking, and retail. The concept of "Aging in Place" is showcased in this tightly knit block of LGBTQ services in the Lake View neighborhood.