North + Vine
Chicago, IL
Architect
FitzGeraldMasonry Contractor
Mike CacheyDistributor
Brickworks Supply (formerly Illinois Brick)Products
White Plains VelourNorth+Vine was inspired by its neighborhood, Old Town, which is a hub for creative professionals and renowned for the performing arts. The eye-catching details, modern layouts and stylish features of the hotel-style approach to apartment living provides residents with a wide selection of studio, one, two- and three-bedroom pet friendly options.
In designing North+Vine, FitzGerald’s designers took all the arts into consideration when thinking of the details of the spaces in the building. The corridors bring in the literary arts and have a custom mural showcasing book bindings of some of the most famous authors. The public spaces are a mix of the theater and musical arts including caged light fixtures to echo the backstage of a theater building, wallcoverings that look like stacked amps and tie-dye inspired carpet tiles to bring in a nod to the heyday of the neighborhood.
The exterior is clad with more than 250,000 Norman size brick. Norman size units are approximately one and a half bricks long -- nearly 12” compared to a typical Modular size brick that is nearly 8” long. Brick is an abundant part of the fabric of the city of Chicago. It has a certain human scale quality that is important and is traditional, but the colors and textures of the Silverstone Velour and White Plains brick allowed FitzGerald to do something more clean and modern in terms of the look of the brick.
The Norman size brick relates to the length of the building, and relates to the long façade that is along the North Avenue. The building is really part of the community and part of the fabric of the neighborhood.