STAS Development will start construction on a long-delayed project to turn a historical Noble Square church into condos as soon as they get a key permit from the city.
St. Boniface Church at 1358 W. Chestnut Street in Noble Square was bought in 2016 by STAS Development President Michael Skoulsky who is submitting permits for phase one of the project which will include the church renovation and putting up a three-story building behind it.
Block Club Chicago reports that after years of delays, fourteen out of 18 condos in the church are under contract. An additional unit was added to the original plan, which called for 17 condos. Interior demolition and structural work on the almost 120 year old church has already been done.
"The permits are going to come in two parts; we submitted for our structural permit to get started, with all the complicated steel and everything that has to go inside the church. And our full permit should be submitted very shortly after that. We are pushing as hard as possible to start as soon as possible."
STAS Development President | Michael Skoulsky
The three story building will include affordable residential units and office space for Northwestern Settlement House which is a social services provider based a few blocks north.
Phase two of the development will include a four-story residential building directly east of the church. The building will likely include 20 condos, but plans are still being finalized.
Skoulsky has already started to softly pre-sell units in the second condo building and said that they will bring a more contemporary approach to the development. They will be priced at $899,000 to $1.3 million.
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The church was designed by architect Henry Schlacks, who also designed many other houses of worship around Chicago. St. Boniface Parish dates back to the 1860's, according to a website dedicated to its history. The church was completed in 1904.
West Town neighbors and Preservation Chicago launched a campaign to save the building when it faced demolition threats over the years.
Skoulsky is confident the project will move forward and hopes that the first tenants can move into the church by the fall of 2023.
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