Skender Completes Rehab of Chicago’s BJ Wright Apartments

On behalf of New York-based developer Jonathan Rose Companies, Skender has completed a full interior and exterior revitalization of the Barbara Jean Wright Court Apartments at 1000-1038 W 14th Street in Chicago’s University Village neighborhood.

Jonathan Rose purchased the deteriorating property from the Chicago Community Development Corporation in 2022 as its first Chicago-area project. The company hired Skender as general contractor as well as Grund & Riesterer as architect, WT Group as mechanical engineer, RTM Engineering as civil engineer, and Rockey Structures as structural engineer. Tandem Ventures helped manage regulatory complianceand create local employment opportunities on the project.

The 18-month project involved a rehab of the 27-building, 272-unit property where residents needed to be relocated during 27 phases of energy efficiency and quality-of-life upgrades. “The most challenging part of an occupied rehab project is the logistics of planning for the relocation of existing residents,” said Erik Amos, Skender Sr. Project Manager. “This required consistent, thoughtful communication between the owner, contractor, management team, relocation coordinators, and the tenant council and residents, in addition to the City of Chicago agencies and aldermen.”