Former Saint Wenceslaus School on Chicago’s NW Side to be converted into 28 apartments under new proposal
by BRIAN NADIG
The former Saint Wenceslaus School, 3425 N. Lawndale Ave., in the Avondale community would be converted into 28 apartments under a new proposal.
A 2022 proposal calling for 36 units failed to materialize.
The school closed in the 1990s, and in 2021 the parish merged with the Saint Viator Parish.
The building, which measures 59,500 square feet, was built in 1912. The nearby Reilly School, 3650 W. School St., once had a branch inside the building.
The proposed 28 units would be spread across the building’s three floors, with various bedroom/bathroom combinations, as the existing 36-foot height of the structure would remain unchanged, according 30th Ward Alderwoman Ruth Cruz director of policy and zoning Jerome Genova.
There would be four duplex units with three bedrooms and three baths along with 20 two-bedroom, two-bath units and four one-bedroom, one-bath units, Genova said.
Twenty percent of the apartments would be offered at reduced rents under the city’s affordable housing criteria.
In addition, 18 parking spaces are planned.
The project requires zoning relief that would need to be approved by the City Council and the Zoning Board of Appeals, Genova said.
Cruz has not made a decision on whether to support the proposal and is accepting feedback through Thursday, Oct. 26, according to Genova.
The ward office can be reached at ward30@cityofchicago.org.
On social media some residents have expressed density and parking concerns about the project, which qualifies for a transit-oriented development reduction in parking. Normally one parking space is required for each residential unit, but reductions can be sought if the site is near public transportation.
