Last month we featured the story of the Old Chicago Post Office and the importance of its renovations to the growth of the city. The remodel saw an opportunity to strengthen an area of the city not yet touched by a strong business presence and grow the area to the extent that other business sectors of the city have grown. The project brought life back to both the building and the surrounding southwest area of Chicago.
The renovation required much of the property to be gutted and remodeled to fit the new use of the building: office space. The project took off after signing a lease with Walgreens, encouraging other companies to sign a lease and boosting support of the renovations. The renovations favored designs that are styled to more modern-day work environments, such as open concept workspaces with considerable collaboration areas. Many amenities were also added to the building, such as a fitness center, a rooftop deck with a track and plans for “ground-floor retail such as a food hall with outdoor seating along the river.”
Through rehabilitating the building, original aspects such as the lobby’s marble features and the building’s original spiral mail chutes were refurbished and used. The combination of original refurbished characteristics and new, modern workspace elements provides a memorable and iconic branding experience for the companies who lease the space, as well as that area of downtown Chicago.
With the project representing a gateway to the city of Chicago and a new standard to the southwest area of the city, lighting the project had to be both modern and innovative while suitable for such a classic, beautiful building. A dearth of suitable lighting alternatives for the exterior of this project, the use of the KLIK LEDpodTM 40 had the ability to provide the lighting element that combined both the modern influence of the renovation and need for a simple lighting solution, while additionally creating an inviting path into the beautiful space.
As the Old Chicago Post Office acts as a beautiful and now modern gateway to the city of Chicago, the lighting element acts as a solution to a lack of lighting elements and appealing entrance to the “largest adaptive reuse project in the nation.”
- Lighting Specification: CD+M Lighting Design Group of Atlanta
- Architect: Gensler of Chicago
- Photography: Mike Crews Photography
More about the Post Office:
https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/10/21/20924921/old-post-office-photos-amenities-adaptive-reuse
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/new-old-chicago-post-office-makeover.html
https://www.chicagomag.com/real-estate/July-2018/The-Old-Main-Post-Office-Before-and-After/
