Brick building with modern greenhouse-style structures on the roof and cars parked in front.
Modern brick building with glass rooftop sections, green trees in front, and a bike rack on the side.
Urban street scene with brick building and glass greenhouses on the rooftop.
Rooftop garden with rows of plants and greenhouses on a commercial building in an urban area.
Urban rooftop garden with greenhouses and people tending to plants.
Greenhouse interior with two people tending plants, featuring abundant green foliage and metal frame structure under sunlight.
Modern restaurant interior with light wooden chairs and tables, industrial-style exposed brick and concrete walls, pendant lights, large windows, and a decorative plant centerpiece.
Interior of a modern cafe with wooden ceilings, large windows, and people sitting at round tables on wooden chairs.
Modern bar interior with wood paneling, wooden bar stools, pendant lights, and glassware on shelves.
Modern commercial kitchen with open layout, stainless steel counters, white tiled walls, and wooden ceiling panels; two people working inside.
Urban rooftop garden with greenhouses and surrounding brick buildings under a blue sky.
Aerial view of an urban area with buildings, streets, parked cars, and visible green rooftops. Rail tracks run parallel to the right side of the image, and there are trees and sparse vegetation between buildings.
View through a window opening in a brick wall under construction, showing a tree and a red brick building outside.
A partially constructed or renovated brick wall with two rectangular openings showing green trees and a brick building outside.
Isometric architectural drawing of a multi-story building with greenhouses, offices, and public areas.
Architectural floor plan layout of a building's first level, showing various rooms, corridors, staircases, restrooms, and seating areas.
Architectural second floor plan layout with rooms, hallways, and furniture arrangement.
Architectural roof floor plan of a garden and building layout, featuring various plant designs and zones, including green areas, pathways, seating, and structured sections for plants and trees.

1516 W CARROLL AVE ADAPTIVE REUSE

This 1920s warehouse and attached office building has seen many iterations. The renovation project expands the building making way for new tenants and programs by adding a second floor inside the existing high-bay warehouse structure.  The project includes a ground floor restaurant with sidewalk seating, coffee bar and retail store; second story food innovation film studio and test kitchens, private dining space, office space, and event space; and finally the third floor rooftop farm and greenhouses.  The project also includes new vertical circulation elements, new floor and roof structure, and modernization of building systems and windows.

Guided by the honest expression of a restrained material palette the different eras of construction are revealed.  Sensitive acoustic treatments and a desire to see and interact with the raw materials creates a cohesive building despite the different programs and tenants.  The project keeps exposed many of the architectural and structural elements from the earlier projects which become features in the many spaces.

INFO

Location:
West Loop, Chicago, IL

Project Status:
Complete

Project Size:
30,000sf

Team:
Goodfriend Magruder (Structure)
BTR Engineers (MEP)
Meg McMorrow (Interiors)
Warren Aftahi (Interiors)
Annabell Ren, Jiachen Wang (Photographer)

Publication:
Architectural Record 2025 April