The lighted sign on the Romanesque Revival building at Roosevelt Road and Wabash Avenue reads “The Roosevelt Hotel,” evoking the feeling of a film noir set from the 1940s.
In 2003, the sign is evidence of the area’s revival. It was preserved as part of the $11 million gut rehab of the structure, on the National Register of Historic Places, into a 42-unit building called the Roosevelt Apartments.
Just as the burnished red brick and stone building has undergone a rejuvenation, so has the neighborhood around it. Signs of investment include a new Jewel/Osco store and a Starbucks coffee shop just across the street.
Restaurants thrive in the emerging entertainment district along Michigan Avenue and Wabash. In fact, the building, constructed in 1893, has ground-level commercial space occupied by Chinese and American-style restaurants.
The location is ideal for Loop workers or commuters who use the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressways. Entrances to those thoroughfares, as well as the commuter trains of Union Station to the northwest and the Metra Electric line to the east, are within about a mile. The Roosevelt stops for the CTA’s Green and Orange Lines are just behind the building and the Red Line subway is just a short walk away at Roosevelt and State Street.
Also nearby are Soldier Field, the Museum Campus and Lake Michigan.
The white paneled door of the two-bedroom apartment we visited opens from the public hallway into the foyer with beige carpet and a coat closet.
The kitchen is straight ahead. This 10-by-8-foot room has a white ceramic tile floor, light wood cabinets and white appliances, including a dishwasher and microwave oven. A large window allows sunlight to flow into the kitchen, which is separated from the living room by an island — probably the prime dining space, because there is no separate dining room. However, part of the living room could be furnished with a small dining table. The living room measures 13 1/2 by 14 1/2 feet and has beige carpet and a curving bay with three large windows. The view, to the south, includes the corner of Roosevelt and Wabash with its new retail, but also older structures, including one with terra cotta detailing at the northeast corner of the intersection.
A hallway from the foyer leads to the bedrooms, the first of which measures 11 by 10 feet, has a double closet, and a large window that overlooks Roosevelt.
The second bedroom, measuring 11 by 11 1/2 feet, has two windows set on a curve. The view is the same as in the first bedroom.
The bathroom, at the end of the hallway, has a white tile floor, a lighted wood vanity with a white, faux marble counter, and a linen closet. The building has a common laundry room.
Also available are one-bedrooms with rents from $825. For rental information, call 312-927-9751.
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The vital stats
Address: The Roosevelt Apartments,
1158 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago
Size: Two bedrooms, one bath
Rent: $1,170
Security deposit: One month’s rent
Utilities: Resident pays electricity and gas for cooking and heat.
Parking: A space in a lot behind the building is $125 a month.
![An extra-alarm fire destroyed a home and damaged two others on the near West side Wednesday night, though fire officials said no one was injured in the blaze. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of West 16th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, according to a social media update from the Chicago Fire Department. Officials quickly upgraded the blaze to a 2-11 fire. Neighbors who clustered around the scene Wednesday night said the home had been under construction and appeared to be vacant. Although the fire was declared struck out at 9:30 p.m. in a social […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-structure-fire-041724-06.jpg?w=525 "An extra-alarm fire destroyed a home and damaged two others on the near West side Wednesday night, though fire officials said no one was injured in the blaze. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of West 16th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, according to a social media update from the Chicago Fire Department. Officials quickly upgraded the blaze to a 2-11 fire. Neighbors who clustered around the scene Wednesday night said the home had been under construction and appeared to be vacant. Although the fire was declared struck out at 9:30 p.m. in a social […]")
