In this article, we take a look at planned construction in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

Bronzeville is one of Chicago’s most historic neighborhoods, and it’s known for being a center for African-American life and culture. Bronzeville came to be known as the “Black Metropolis” in the early 20th century when a significant population of African-Americans relocated to the area as part of the larger Great Migration.

Famous Bronzeville residents have included include Nat King Cole, Ida B. Wells, and Louis Armstrong.

The Bronzeville area is bounded to the north by 31st Street, to the south by 51st Street, to the east by Drexel Avenue, and to the west by the Dan Ryan Expressway. It bumps up right against Bridgeport to the west. With these boundaries, we’ve compiled construction and demographic data for the Bridgeport neighborhood by utilizing ConstructionWire’s Geospex mapping and custom boundary tools.

Here, we include a sampling of projects both in planning and projects already under construction: everything you need to be well-versed on Bronzeville’s planned construction as 2022 inches closer. In total, Bronzeville currently has 11 projects either in planning or already under construction.

These projects are listed in order according to estimated project value, with planned projects listed before projects under construction, and they are sourced from a query of BuildCentral’s ConstructionWire for projects in planning and under construction within the boundaries of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.

Planned Construction in Bronzeville 

Above is a screenshot from BuildCentral’s ConstructionWire of Geospex’s mapping tool. Using Geospex’s Custom Boundary Area tool, we outlined the Bronzeville neighborhood with the aforementioned boundaries of 31st Street, 51st Street, Drexel Avenue, and the Dan Ryan Expressway in mind. Not only does this tool allow us to isolate only those construction projects that fall within the Bronzeville area (or any area that you want to define), but it also provides us with construction and demographic data about the bounded region.

Below are Bronzeville’s construction and demographic data, courtesy of ConstructionWire and Geospex.

According to the counts above, as of this article’s writing, Bronzeville currently has 11 projects either in planning or under construction, per ConstructionWire. Additionally, you can see estimated total values for those projects.

Similarly, the above screenshot of data provided by Geospex’s Custom Boundary Area tool offers valuable demographic information about Bronzeville and its residents. There’s more data than we could even fit in the screenshot!

Now, as promised, it’s time to dig into some of Bronzeville’s projects in planning and under construction.

Northwestern Medical Center Outpatient Medical Hub

Northwestern Medicine has already acquired the property for development, but a groundbreaking event is not expected to take place until late 2022.

Project Type/Size:	Retail/Cultural/Social (10,000-24,999 sq-ft), Office (100,000 sq-ft), Parking Structures, Medical
Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million
Sector:	Private
Location:	Chicago, IL 60615. 4800 S Cottage Grove Ave
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a 100,000-square-foot medical hub. The facility will include primary care, specialty services such as dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology as well as screenings and treatments like mammograms, ultrasounds, X-rays and there will also be a pediatric component. Plans will include a community meeting space, a parking garage and retail space on the first floor.

Stage:	Starts in 4-12 months
Construction Start:	Q3/2022
Construction End:	Q1/2024
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Lillian Marcie Center

The Chicago Planning Commission has reviewed this project’s rezoning plans.

Project Type/Size:	Cultural/Social (10,000-24,999 sq-ft)
Construction Type:	Renovation
Estimated Value:	$1-$5 million
Sector:	Private
Location:	Chicago, IL 60653. 4343 S Cottage Grove Ave
Details:	Plans call for the conversion of an existing two-story old Marshall Field warehouse building into a 350-seat theater with a smaller performance space of about 100 seats.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Oakwood Shores Affordable Housing

Work on this project is ongoing, and its completion is expected in early 2022.

Project Type/Size:	MultiFamily (53 units)
Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$20 million
Sector:	Private
Location:	Chicago, IL 60653. 508 E Pershing Rd
Details:	Plans call for a four-story affordable housing building with 53 units.

Stage:	Construction
Construction Start:	Q1/2021
Construction End:	Q1/2022
Bid Due Date:	N/A

4137 Cottage Grove Mixed-Use

Already under construction, this project received its building permits in May 2021. Its expected completion date is in mid-2022.

Project Type/Size:	MultiFamily (48 units), Retail/Office (6,000 sq-ft)
Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$5.5 million
Sector:	Private
Location:	Chicago, IL 60653. 4137 S Cottage Grove Ave
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a four-story mixed-use development with 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 48 apartments on the upper floors. There will be a mixture of one and two-bedroom units.

Stage:	Early Construction
Construction Start:	Q3/2021
Construction End:	Q2/2022
Bid Due Date:	N/A

With Bronzeville so close to downtown Chicago as well as the lakefront, there has never been more interest in this southside neighborhood known for its historic greystone homes and mansions.

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