Trending
Golub pulls plug on big rental project near Wright’s Unity Temple
Opponents said 28-story building would have towered over historic Oak Park property, marring famed architect’s design
Golub & Company will not go forward with a tall rental building near Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park, a victory for opponents who worried about its effect on the historic building.
The Chicago-based developer had planned to build the 28-story apartment tower within a half block of the temple, but the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy said Golub last week informed the group it was abandoning plans for the site at 835 Lake Street, according to Curbed.
A Golub spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Monday morning.
After Golub proposed the project in November, opponents criticized the potential impact of the 299-foot-tall building’s shadows on the temple’s stained glass ceiling.
“Professional architects with whom we consulted stated that if a structure more than 100 feet in height is built at 835 Lake Street, it will greatly increase shadowing both into the sanctuary and Unity House, and severely alter Wright’s design intention in those spaces,” the conservancy said in a statement to Curbed.
Even without the Oak Park project, Golub still has a number of projects on its plate in Chicago, several with partner CIM Group, including the ongoing overhaul of the Tribune Tower complex into a mixed-use project that one day could include the city’s second-tallest building. [Curbed] — John O’Brien