Lincoln Common wins Urban Land Institute’s 2024 Americas Award for Excellence
Transformative Lincoln Park Development Stands Out for Community Engagement, Multi-generational Living Options and Affordable Housing.
Chicago, IL — Co-developers McCaffery and Hines announced today that their transformative mixed-use project in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Lincoln Common, has been selected as a winner of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence. The award marks an exciting and impactful milestone for the property, as the ULI program is a prominent indicator of the highest standards of development achievement within the industry. Lincoln Common is one of just 10 developments across North America – and the only Chicago winner – that will now compete alongside projects from the Europe and Asia Pacific regions in the 2024 ULI Global Awards for Excellence.
The ULI Awards jury evaluates submissions on overall excellence. Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession. This year, 52 projects and programs from across the Americas region were submitted for the competition. In addition to offering multi-generational living options and 54 affordable rental apartments – the first new affordable housing option the ward in 35 years – Lincoln Common also stood out for its achievements in planning, architecture, community engagement and placemaking.
“Lincoln Common has done more than just create a new development; it has fundamentally transformed the area,” observes Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce CEO, Kim Schilf. “The aesthetics and vitality it brings to the community are truly remarkable. It has become a central gathering spot, bustling with foot traffic, and a hub for community events.”
The winning Lincoln Common team is comprised of the following Chicago-based firms:
- DEVELOPERS: McCaffery; Hines
- ARCHITECTS: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in association with Antunovich Associates
- CONSTRUCTION: W. E. O’Neil
This is the fourth ULI Americas Award of Excellence for McCaffery. The full-service real estate firm’s historic preservation of the Reliance Building in Chicago, the master planned, mixed-use development Market Common® Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, and the adaptive reuse redevelopment, Cork Factory Lofts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received the top ULI award in 2002, 2005 and 2009, respectively. This is the eighth ULI Award of Excellence for Hines. The global real estate investment manager won the very first award in 1979 for The Galleria in Houston, Texas, and more recently was awarded the 2011 Americas Award of Excellence for its 300 North LaSalle development in Chicago.
Located in the heart of Chicago’s diverse Lincoln Park neighborhood, the Lincoln Common site was previously home to Children’s Memorial Hospital. Seeking to create a lively new neighborhood crossroads, co-developers McCaffery and Hines partnered with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Antunovich Associates to design the 1.1 million-square-foot mixed-use development. It is a model for sensitive, community-informed master planning, architectural, and program strategies.
Today, Lincoln Common is a destination that 1,000+ people of all income levels and age groups call home and a place for the greater community to gather. The LEED-Silver certified master-planned development spans more than 6 acres and comprises 100,000 SF of national and local brand retail, two 20-story apartment towers offering 538 units (10% affordable), a five-story office building, a 32-unit condominium building, and a 150-room senior living facility. Lincoln Common's architecture is a unique combination of new construction and adaptive reuse, incorporating new high-rise density into the otherwise low-rise neighborhood. This approach celebrates Chicago’s historic as well as contemporary architecture and presents an organic, authentic, and approachable community development. The development masterfully blends an array of uses into a pedestrian-friendly environment that is properly scaled and integrated into its urban setting. Previously impermeable due to use and design, Lincoln Common’s master plan brought pedestrian access onto and through the site, knitting it into the fabric of the neighborhood.
The project provides more than one acre of connected open spaces that cater to a wide range of uses year-round, including a grand central plaza, contemplative memorial garden, and children’s playground. Since opening, the plaza at Lincoln Common has become the neighborhood crossroads and “town square” for local events and festivals, integrating the apartment residents with the larger Lincoln Park community. The property hosts dozens of events each year that are open to the public, including children’s programming, fitness classes, concerts, markets, and cultural events.
“Lincoln Common has proven to be a connector of the Lincoln Park community through their consistent belief that being a good and active neighbor spurs good and active neighbors,” shared Chicago 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen. “Since its opening, they have partnered with local businesses, community organizations, academic institutions, and others to open its doors and activate its property and the nearby economic corridor. Now, with new retail, rental, office, and condominium tenants, Lincoln Common is reinvigorating and jumpstarting economic growth in the Lincoln Park community.”
Click here to view Lincoln Common’s award submission video and visit LincolnCommon.com for current project details. To learn more about the Urban Land Institute and the Awards of Excellence, visit Americas.ULI.org.
