Goals

INVEST South/West is a community improvement initiative from Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot to marshal more than $750 million in public funding while coordinating across multiple City departments, community organizations and corporate partners in order to realize the re-activation of 12 key commercial corridors across 10 neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides.

Canopy (Lead Architect) in partnership with Michaels Development Company (MDC), New Covenant Community Development Corporation (NCCDC), and Future Firm (Associate Architect) worked together to establish a concept for one of the twelve Invest South/West RFP sites within the North Lawndale community titled Pivot North Lawndale.

Pivot North Lawndale seeks to elevate established community assets and initiatives and foster relationships that will serve and uplift the community. The goals are to: 1) create a welcoming community hub that serves as a gathering space where Lawndale residents can connect with neighborhood institutions, cultural organizations, and each other; 2) build on Ogden Avenue’s historic role as a commercial corridor by providing space and resources for neighborhood-owned businesses, and 3) establish a “gateway” to North Lawndale that embodies the community’s creative identity.

Results

We envision a neighborhood hub, bringing together North Lawndale’s residents and connecting them with strong, community-led initiatives in a vibrant place to live, shop, and gather. Pivot North Lawndale is poised – along with community leaders and creatives – to help catalyze a culture of economic investment and innovation. Embodying a community spirit of strength and fortitude from decades past, it will serve as a seed of growth for decades to come.

The massing hinges on a response to site – the adjacent built environment, magnificent views, and a greater neighborhood fabric of community institutions. Fundamental to its success will be its ability to draw on the vibrancy and creativity of a unique community by cultivating an ecosystem of supportive partnerships with these institutions.

Pivot North Lawndale’s dynamic presence highlights the unmistakable identity of North Lawndale, and becomes a strong anchor for the evolving neighborhood and the community at large.