City Commons

Horwitz/Matthews
62 Units, 3 Stories
641 W. Willow St.
Chicago, Illinois

Sixty-two townhomes are arranged in concentric quadrangles with an interior street for creating an active, semi-private space. Axial vistas culminate at a lushly landscaped retreat at the site's center. Exteriors emulate the honesty of turn-of-the-century rowhouses, revealed through a compositional field of punched windows, and articulated masonry. Garden walls and gates combine with the landscaping to gesture openly to the neighborhood. Glass block, used as a "jewel" in the cornice, is interpreted as an entrance portico and identity for the project.