Tower Rises Through the Snow

Construction on the Farwell Tower. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

While virtually every school in the area was closed on account of the snow, workers from Stevens Construction labored on a new 13-story tower at 1840 N. Farwell Ave.

The tower, now climbing high above most of its neighbors, is visible from blocks away.

When complete, the new building will include 153 apartments, primarily one-bedroom and studio units. The building will also include a 215-stall parking garage on the building’s lower floors, 10,000 square-feet of office space and first-floor commercial space. Award-winning chef Justin Carlisle announced in 2016 that he’ll open a deli in the building, complementing his Red Light Ramen and Ardent restaurants just across the street.

Stevens Construction is leading the construction of the building. The project was originally designed by Kindness Architecture, which has since been acquired by Eppstein Uhen Architects.

The tower will replace a four-story, modernist office building that was deconstructed in late 2016. Originally built in 1961, that building housed the offices of New Land Enterprises and a handful of other tenants. New Land relocated to the building immediately south of the project in advance of construction and is expected to move into the new building’s office space.

How do the neighbors feel about all of this? A February 2016 meeting led by Alderman Nik Kovac had only two attendees in opposition, a true oddity for the dense Lower East Side.

Contrast that to New Land’s other big project, the recently approved apartment building for 2130 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View, where people spoke in opposition at every hearing. That project was unanimously approved by the Common Council in July 2016.

Gokhman and Wiechmann are frequent collaborators and are also developing a five-story apartment building on N. Jackson St. just north of E. Pleasant St.

Photos

Renderings

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