March & April 2024

A dozen years later, Winnetka site may finally get new residential building

Article in Crain’s Chicago Business

“On March 22, Winnetka’s village board voted unanimously to approve the proposal from Murphy Development Group for the site at Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue.”

Murphy Development gets greenlight for One Winnetka

Article in The Real Deal

“After more than a decade of discussions and deliberations, Winnetka trustees have unanimously approved the transformative project, which will breathe life into the southeast corner of Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue.”

Newest One Winnetka project is all but done deal

Article in the Record North Shore

“I take great pride in it,” says OKW CEO Jon Talty AIA. “We all do. It was a collective effort and I think ultimately the architecture, the planning, all of this makes for a better building. I think it’s going to live beautifully both during the daytime and at night in our village.” Architecture and design by OKW.

One Winnetka project moves forward

Article in Chicago YIMBY

“The final stage for One Winnetka involves a review of the latest plan by village staff and council. During this review, officials will assess the development agreement for the site. Trustees may give the project their final approval as early as the upcoming April meeting.”

One Winnetka development approved by village after nearly a decade

Article in the Chicago Tribune

“A complicated chapter of village history may be coming to a close as the developers of … One Winnetka have received crucial approval from the Winnetka Village Council.”

November 29, 2023

A new apartment development is headed to downtown Sarasota

Article in Sarasota Magazine

“This new version … comes on the heels of a recent zoning text amendment the City of Sarasota passed that incentivizes developers to build affordable housing, according to Andy Patras, director of development management with Artist Court Residences’ developer, GK Real Estate, which also handles real estate investing.” Architecture and design by OKW.

October 22, 2023

Former NFL QB Christian Ponder and business exec Jason LaRose create The Post networking club

Article in WBGO.org

“We have speaker series and create content,” says Jason. “Christian hosts his own podcast called Built By Sport (for members only) to try and bring some of that together. We host events and we have our clubhouse in New York. We do all these things to try and be the grease. Our job is to try and give athletes a turn-key solution to networking through The Post.” Architecture and interior design by OKW.

October 3, 2023

Sterling Organization eyes $440m Niles overhaul

Article in The Real Deal

“The Niles Village Board has approved a non-binding agreement with Sterling to kickstart the redevelopment project at 239 Golf Mill Center, the Chicago Tribune reported. If both parties finalize a formal agreement within the next few months, construction could commence as early as next year.” Planning and architecture by OKW.

September 19, 2023

The smartest, sleekest, & healthiest workplaces in DuPage: 2023

Blogpost in Choose DuPage

3500 Lacey made the list! To quote the article: “we only featured the best of the best. Each workplace here is among the Smartest, Sleekest & Healthiest in DuPage County. Above all, these spaces are designed for the employee experience—they work harder, so you can work smarter.”

September 1, 2023

Inside 900 North Michigan Shops

Article in REJournals

“Maintaining a consistently high occupancy rate of 98% is no small feat, especially when faced with the challenges brought about by the e-commerce boom and retail consolidation. The key, according to Stucker, lies in the hard work and dedication of the entire team.” OKW served as the Architect of Record for the reimagining of 900 N Michigan.

August 17, 2023

13 Chicago Hotels for Architecture Aficinados

Article in Architectural Digest

“There may be no better way to experience Chicago than with a luxury hotel room, yacht, expansive fitness center, and indoor pool.” The comprehensive renovation of 900 North Michigan included new guestrooms, suites, public spaces, lobby, and pool/spa at the Four Seasons, with OKW serving as the Architect of Record for every component.

July 31, 2023

United buys former Morotola building in Arlington Heights for ops center

Article in Crain’s Chicago Business

“United bought a 205,000-square-foot building at 1421 W. Shure Drive to provide more space for its network-operations centers.” OKW worked on the most recent intervention in the Motorola campus, converting it into a multi-tenant office development with Torburn as our client.

July 24, 2023

Two Fulton Market retail properties go up for sale

Article in Crain’s Chicago Business

“The Chicago investment firm that owns a 33,000-square-foot building at 932 W. Randolph St. has hired Jones Lang LaSalle to sell the property, which is fully leased to tenants, including Lululemon and Puttery.” Architectural design by OKW.

March 14, 2023

Homewood Suites Hotel and Conference Center tops out in Skokie

Article in Chicago YIMBY

The development of downtown Skokie into a vibrant community and commerce center continues with the topping out of Homewood Suites Hotel! Architectural design by OKW.

February 3, 2023

Illinois’ Wintrust Bank provides $57.5 million in construction financing for 332-unit apartment development

Article in REJournals

“The property is anticipated to be completed in the first half of 2025 and will feature well-appointed apartments, a resort-style rooftop pool and a best-in-class amenity package. This is the first of a multi-phased residential development for the borrower, an affiliate of T2 Capital Management.” Architecture and design by OKW Architects.

January 31, 2023

In Memoriam: Travis Jeffery Bridges

OKW Partner, Colleague, Husband, Father, Friend

OKW is profoundly sad to share that Travis Bridges is no longer with us. He was many things to many people and our firm is still reeling from the loss. Our tribute to our colleague and friend is a glimpse of what he meant to us.

January 30, 2023

Indie movie operators filling void left by big chains

Article in Crain’s Chicago Business

Crain’s wrote about the growing popularity of smaller cinemas and featured our mixed-use project in Hyde Park.

January 23, 2023

Rottet Studio updates the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago

Article in Interior Design Magazine

“When Four Seasons Hotels opened a Chicago property in 1989, its chocolate-and-rosewood palette telegraphed luxury. But three decades later, the interiors were badly in need of a comprehensive revamp.” With interior designers Rottet Studio and OKW as AOR, the hotel is now a contemporary haven for travelers and Chicagoans alike.

January 18, 2023

With larger footprint, One Winnetka adds more units, moves entryways to the delight of Winnetka trustees

Article in the Record North Shore

“Members of the Village Council took turns Tuesday praising One Winnetka’s designs and thanking developers for listening to previous concerns of village officials as well as residents. ‘I think it’s a really nice design and the context fits well with the location,’ Trustee Bob Dearborn said.”

January 6, 2023

Oak Forest to break ground on mixed-use development

Article in Patch.com

“Construction of the mixed-use development, which includes 75 multi-family units, commercial first-floor space and 15 row homes will begin this month. … EM8 Properties has named Kinzie Builders as the general contractor and OKW Architects as the project architect.”

January 4, 2023

Skender completes comprehensive repositioning project at 3500 Lacey in Downers Grove

Blogpost by Skender

“In the face of global supply chain constraints and inflation, Skender worked hard to find the right balance of speed and cost effectiveness and, together with OKW Architects, we were able to provide solutions to every issue we encountered and made decisions together as a team,” said Tim Rogers, Project Executive at Skender.