Photographs: Mike Schwartz
Excuse me for a moment here, but this rehabbed church is fucking gorgeous. And if you've been in Wicker Park you've probably seen it before.
If you think like me, you've walked past this exquisite structure at 2016 West Evergreen Ave thinking it was a place of worship and nothing more. It is, however, a collection of ecclesiastical apartments that you can live inside. The building also recently went up for sale. The price of a rental in the church averages about $2,000. There is also an adjacent five-bedroom rental that was once a parsonage, or housing for visiting clergy members.
The former church is located a short walk away from the Milwaukee-North-Damen intersection, colloquially known as The Crotch, and is member to two historic districts, both the Wicker Park Historic District and the Wicker Park Chicago Landmark District.
The architecture exhibits hints of Gothic style (with a twist), while the redbrick exterior situates the splendid building squarely in the Midwest. Rather than let this treasure fall into disuse and ruin, the property has been spliced up into apartments by JAB Real Estate Inc, and each shows off the former church's best features—stained glass windows and ceilings of custom wood design. These bits of history are accented by contemporary, modernist details like the patterned wallpaper in the halls and light fixtures.
I could go on forever about the perks of these apartments, but it's probably best you just see for yourself.
All the design work, both the interior design, as well as the exterior rehabilitation was done by SPACE Architects + Planners, based in Logan Square.
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