Paseo Boricua Arts Building
Arches across the first floor of the Nancy Franco-Maldonado Paseo Boricua Arts Building provide a pattern of welcoming openings to engage the West Town neighborhood along Chicago’s famed Division Street. Four five-story-tall vacant buildings have been re-imagined as a vibrant community arts and residential center that recognizes and extends design motifs celebrating Puerto Rican culture in Chicago.
The predominantly white painted façade is punctuated by color that denotes balconies and slatted wood frames that create a civic scale for the complex. The ground floor provides commercial and community spaces, with a black box theater as an anchor. The second through fifth floors house a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom live/work apartments. The development of an arts community within the building is encouraged through interior murals, an art wall within a fire stair, and collaborative pin-up space to be shared by the tenants. A roof deck and adjacent green space provide an oasis within the city atop the complex.
The complex encourages interaction between residents and the community at large, fostering new cultural connections.