The Leon Hotel keeps its base while adding two residential floors

Construction is reshaping the Leon Hotel without erasing its masonry base. Selective demolition was underway by late April at 2701 North Clark Street, preparing the three-story former SRO for a gut rehabilitation and two new floors.

The result is planned as 25 apartments above and alongside 4,820 square feet of retail. The design keeps the old building legible while making the addition visibly new.

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The old shell survives, but the former SRO and the new apartments tell different housing stories.

What Is Underway

The permit supports a five-story mixed-use building created from the existing three floors plus a two-story addition. Studio Dwell Architects designed the project for Contemporary Concepts.

The apartment mix includes eight studios, eight one-bedroom units, and nine two-bedroom units. Bicycle parking replaces an automobile-parking requirement in the transit-served corridor.

Preserved Structure, Changed Housing

Keeping the masonry building retains embodied material and the corner's low-rise commercial scale. The addition shows how density can be added without full-site demolition.

The former SRO role should not disappear from the story. A building can be architecturally reused while its housing market and resident population change completely.

What To Watch Next

Facade repairs, storefront installation, the junction between old masonry and new metal cladding, lease pricing, and construction completion are the next useful records.

Final review should distinguish the measurable preservation of the shell from broader claims about housing continuity or affordability.