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MKB Architects

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Female owned

Chicago, IL

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Boarded up and abandoned for over 20 years, the Rusnak Furniture building is now buzzing with activity.
Boarded up and abandoned for over 20 years, the Rusnak Furniture building is now buzzing with activity.
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Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub

For over 20 years, the historic 1926 Rusnak Brothers Furniture building sat vacant on 79th Street, a once thriving business corridor now facing disinvestment. GAGDC & MKB Architects embarked on a seven-year journey to return not only crucial services to a ‘health desert’, but a sense of community pride.

From the inside out, the ‘hub’ is transformed: a centralized circulation core and modern infrastructure; new windows on the once blank east/west sides allow natural light; brick infill is torn down for storefront glass to activate the street; the restored terra cotta facade is a celebrated symbol of renewed investment. 

Its impact goes far beyond the physical - 100 living wage jobs within the community, providing services to support youth, seniors, & families, and be a catalyst for future developments.

 
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Status: Built
Location: Chicago, IL, US
Firm Role: Architect of Record
Additional Credits: Client - Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation
General Contractor - Ujaama Construction
Photos - Tom Harris Photography

 
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub is a recipient of the Chicago Prize from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, honored in the lobby entrance.
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub is a recipient of the Chicago Prize from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, honored in the lobby entrance.
GO BEARS - The Chicago Bears Multipurpose Room is open to the neighborhood as an event venue for workshops, speakers, and gatherings.
GO BEARS - The Chicago Bears Multipurpose Room is open to the neighborhood as an event venue for workshops, speakers, and gatherings.
The Multipurpose Room and Teaching Kitchen are directly adjacent, offering increased capacity for food service and communal culinary experiences.
The Multipurpose Room and Teaching Kitchen are directly adjacent, offering increased capacity for food service and communal culinary experiences.
The second floor is home to UI Health's Mile Square Clinic, providing critical services to over 10,000 patients annually upon opening.
The second floor is home to UI Health's Mile Square Clinic, providing critical services to over 10,000 patients annually upon opening.
Heartland Alliance offices facilitates flexible collaboration through an open plan arrangement.
Heartland Alliance offices facilitates flexible collaboration through an open plan arrangement.
The UIC Neighborhood Center is open to tutoring, mentorship, legal services, and local support networks.
The UIC Neighborhood Center is open to tutoring, mentorship, legal services, and local support networks.
As the first INVEST South/West project completed, the Healthy Lifestyle Hub establishes itself as a catalyst for further developments in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
As the first INVEST South/West project completed, the Healthy Lifestyle Hub establishes itself as a catalyst for further developments in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.