DePaul’s $42M Athletic Center Leads Chicago’s Week of Permits

The largest construction permit issued in Chicago during the week ending August 12, 2026 went to DePaul University, which received approval for a $42.4 million athletic center at 2300 North Sheffield Avenue in Lincoln Park. The planned four-story building is designed as a basketball practice facility. Joseph Antunovich is the architect of record, and Bulley & Andrews is the general contractor.

The week’s largest alteration permit went to Macon Construction Group for a $15.6 million project at 2406 East Eastwood Avenue in Lincoln Square. The work calls for a six-story addition to an existing four-story structure, creating a 73-unit residential building with ground-floor retail and enclosed parking. Howard Hirsch is the architect, and Macon Construction Group is also the general contractor.

Other notable permits included a $14.5 million fourth-floor interior renovation at the 8745 West Higgins Road office complex near O’Hare by investor Marvin Herb; an $8.4 million electrical-room and rooftop mechanical upgrade at Digital Realty’s data center at 350 East Cermak Road; and a $7.3 million renovation for law firm Ropes & Gray at 191 North Wacker Drive after the firm expanded to nearly 105,000 square feet across the 32nd, 33rd and 34th floors.

The list also featured Bil-Mar Management’s $7.7 million repair of 24 fire-damaged units and stair replacement at 4909 North Glenwood Avenue; 4Corners’ $5.8 million conversion of a former school at 2401 West Congress Parkway into a 52-unit residential building; and TM1 Construction’s $5.5 million new five-story, 40-unit residential building at 1033 North Christiana Avenue in Humboldt Park.

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What the Permit Mix Signals About Multifamily, Office and Data-Center Pipelines

DePaul’s Lincoln Park Athletic Investment Is a Facilities Bet

The DePaul permit is the largest new-building approval in the weekly snapshot. The verified facts are narrow: a $42.4 million, four-story basketball practice facility has been approved. The interpretation is that this is a long-term capital commitment to the university’s basketball program and campus infrastructure, putting a modern practice building in a dense Lincoln Park location. It is a facilities investment, not an ordinary commercial development, and its value to DePaul will come from recruiting, training and athlete use rather than rental income.

One caveat: the permit represents approval to proceed, not a guarantee of immediate starts or final costs. Permit valuations are planning figures; actual construction budgets can change.

Three Residential Projects, Three Different Supply Strategies

The permits show residential activity through three distinct approaches: Macon’s 73-unit addition in Lincoln Square, 4Corners’ 52-unit conversion of a former school on the Near West Side, and TM1’s 40-unit new building in Humboldt Park. Combined, these three projects would add about 165 units, though each targets a different submarket and product type. The mix suggests developers are still finding permit-ready paths for rental housing—through additions, adaptive reuse and small ground-up buildings—rather than relying on any single construction template.

Office and Data-Center Work Focuses on Existing Assets

Ropes & Gray’s renovation at 191 North Wacker follows a reported expansion of more than 26,000 square feet, bringing its total to nearly 105,000 square feet. That is a specific tenant-driven demand signal for West Loop office space, even as broader office-market conditions remain uncertain. Similarly, Digital Realty’s permit is for electrical-room and rooftop mechanical work at an existing data center at 350 East Cermak, not for new data-hall construction. Marvin Herb’s $14.5 million office alteration is likewise a repositioning of existing space near O’Hare. The common thread is reinvestment in owned or occupied assets rather than speculative new development.

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Builders, Landlords and Suppliers: Where This Week’s Permits Point

The permit list is useful less as a market forecast than as a map of specific near-term work. The following are the most concrete next steps for different participants.

  • General and trade contractors: DePaul’s $42.4 million facility is the week’s largest new-building permit. Bulley & Andrews holds the general contract, but a project of that size typically generates subcontracting packages once site work begins.
  • Multifamily developers and owners: Macon Construction Group’s 73-unit addition at 2406 East Eastwood and 4Corners’ 52-unit school conversion at 2401 West Congress provide two recent permit examples of adding rental units outside a ground-up high-rise model; both can serve as market comps for similar infill or adaptive-reuse proposals.
  • Office owners and leasing teams: Ropes & Gray’s renovation after expanding to nearly 105,000 square feet at 191 North Wacker is a concrete sign that law-firm demand for larger, upgraded West Loop space remains active; comparable buildings with contiguous upper-floor blocks may see similar tenant interest.
  • Data-center contractors and suppliers: Digital Realty’s $8.4 million electrical-room and rooftop equipment project at 350 East Cermak is an existing-asset retrofit, indicating near-term work for mechanical and electrical subcontractors familiar with live data-center environments.
  • Restoration contractors: Bil-Mar Management’s permit covers 24 fire-damaged units and stair replacement at 4909 North Glenwood, a $7.7 million project likely to require specialized fire-restoration, structural and finishing work.