Lodge Evanston
2024 / Evanston IL
RESPONSIVE INFILL
Lodge Evanston revived an abandoned church structure in downtown Evanston, Illinois, transforming it with a new addition into 30 apartments a few blocks from Northwestern University as well as a transit line connecting to downtown Chicago. Straddling the boundary between low-density residential urban fabric to the west and a large-scale commercial and institutional mixed-use zone to the east, the project preserved a key piece of Evanston’s historic fabric while adding housing density with a diverse mix of unit types on an underutilized and transit-adjacent lot.
RETAINING HISTORY FOR A NEW PRESENT
Originally constructed at the corner of Church Street and Oak Avenue in 1910 for a largely Swedish immigrant community, the existing building on the site was used by the Soujorner Covenant Church for over a hundred years. Like many urban congregations, it had dwindled to just 25 people by 2018, and the church made the decision to sell the property.
Composed of common brick with little ornamentation, the original facade featured arched windows and a distinctive pointed opening above the main doors. A 1950 renovation – whose changes were still intact at the time the property was acquired – had added painted decorative window trim, faux pilasters and a half moon transom at the main entry doors, covering up the building’s original historic design. The design team worked with the historic commission and the found imagery to strip back added elements, restoring original window openings and sandblasting the brick surface back to its original unpainted condition.
SAVED FROM DEMO
The project developer, a housing specialist based in nearby Chicago and well versed in adaptive reuse, initially assumed the church structure was too difficult to reuse due to the scale and configuration of its double-height sanctuary and split-level entry. The design team initially studied options for demolishing the church and infilling the site to zoning code maximums with a double-loaded corridor building, but the narrow width and required setbacks on the L-shaped site created an inefficient envelope for housing.
CREATING VARIETY
Retaining the existing church structure and adding a compact addition maximized unit count as well as perimeter wall area for light, air and views. The resulting unit mix of flats and unique bi-level and tri-level typologies provided unexpected layouts and special interior experiences for residents, creating a defining identity for the project, unlike the typical sameness promoted in the new construction marketplace. The building is a model for inclusionary housing, with three affordable units, including one 2-bedroom and two 1-bedrooms. Three ground floor units provide ADA-accessible flats entered directly off Oak Avenue, including one Type A unit and two adaptable units.
OLD AND NEW
The new construction addition was an exercise in responsive infill. Tightly organized around a central circulation core, the building’s ground floor lobby faces Oak Avenue, with eight parking spaces tucked behind. Rooftop massing adjustments align with the church’s pitched roof and open access to private and common walk-out decks. At grade, an inset reveal and a canted canopy draw pedestrians into the lobby. Clad in black standing seam metal, the addition contrasts with the neutral brick of the existing church structure, clarifying old and new.
STREET LIFE
The pair of structures activate their surrounding streetscapes with planting and multiple entries for shared lobbies, bike rooms and three ADA-accessible ground floor units with front doors directly accessed from Oak Avenue. Interior and exterior common areas flow seamlessly into the public spaces around the building, enhancing neighborhood street life with activity, greenery, and social spaces.
