ust west of Lake Michigan, Chicago's
Commonwealth Promenade comprises
two elegant residential buildings of glass
and steel designed in the mid-1950s by
architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Te
revolutionary designer helped shape the
defnition of modern architecture, emphasizing mini-
malism and clean lines. Co-principal at Chicago-based
SPACE Architects + Planners Jean Dufresne was eager
to get a look at the artisan buildings' interiors, and he
fnally got his chance when a prospective client considered
buying one of the units.
Unfortunately, like many apartment buildings in
desirable locations, the complex had been turned into
condominiums leaving owners free to completely alter
the interior spaces. Dufresne's frst glimpse inside was
less than impressive. "All of the spaces were closed of
and outdated,"Dufresne recalls. "Te condo was billed
as a three-bedroom unit, but the renovated space plan
had been so poorly laid out you had to pass through one
bedroom to get to the next and then through that to ulti -
mately reach the last one. It was like a set of Russian dolls."
Te oddity resulted from prior tenants purchasing two
units each and splitting a third to create a two and a half-
unit space. Te prospective buyer preferred a contempo-
rary aesthetic and wanted to add a laundry room to the
Photos: Mike Schwartz
J
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