Victor F. Lawson House YMCA, Art Deco YMCA building in Near North Side, Chicago, United States.
The Victor F. Lawson House YMCA is a 24-story building located at the corner of North Dearborn Street and West Chicago Avenue, showing Art Deco design features throughout. Today it contains 409 studio apartments for residents within its complex.
Construction was completed in 1931 as the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago headquarters, named after newspaper publisher Victor Lawson, a major supporter of the organization. The institution originally aimed to provide affordable housing and community facilities for working people and immigrants.
The building shifted from housing a YMCA headquarters to providing studio apartments for residents, while keeping its focus on affordable housing in the city. This change shows how the original community mission of the place continues in a new form.
The building can be reached via Dearborn Street, which has good public transportation access and makes reaching the location convenient. Visitors should know that the interior is primarily residential space, so viewing the exterior and its architectural details is the best way to experience the structure.
In 2014 the building was sold for one dollar with a condition attached to protect affordable housing long term. This unusual sale requires maintaining low-cost apartments for a minimum of five decades.
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