Not every high-profile apartment development in the pipeline is in or near downtown. Avison Young's Vue53 project, a likely game changer for the area, is well underway in Hyde Park. AY principal Jim Hanson led us on a hard hat tour of the $75M project.

1. A Look from the Outside

The project, on the site of a former gas station, broke ground in May after a year-long delay and opposition from neighborhood groups that didn't want a mid-rise development on 53rd Street. Jim loves the development opportunities Hyde Park affords and sees 53rd Street as a vibrant centerpiece to the neighborhood, teeming with retail and plenty of foot traffic from residents and students of the nearby University of Chicago (which has been supportive of the project).

2. Entrance

It doesn't look like much now, but Jim says when Vue53 is delivered next September, this entrance will be one of the most unique building entrances in Chicago. It will rise three open stories, have a glass facade and contain 28k SF of retail. The concrete structure in the foreground is where tenants and visitors will enter the building.

3. Elevator Bays

Jim says Vue53 is a great opportunity to meet the future needs of Hyde Park residents as they age. Few of the older apartment buildings in the neighborhood have elevators to take them to the higher floors. In this photo, you can see three elevator bays already formed to ferry tenants throughout Vue53's 13 floors.

4. Common Spaces

Most of Vue 53's common amenities, such as the fitness room and community space, will be on the second and third floors. This stairwell on the level will lead tenants outside to Vue53's outdoor patio.

5. Outdoor Garden

A work in progress: Vue53's outdoor deck. The narrow concrete structures in the middle of the photo will be deck planters, giving tenants ample green space. The development is directly across the street from Nichols Park, which Jim sees as a connector between Vue53 and U of C.

6. Leasing Offices

AY opened leasing offices for Vue53 last week, a couple of blocks east from the construction. The team is inking leases for apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom units, all offering tenants amazing views of the U of C campus to the south or downtown on the north. Here, you see a layout for a mock apartment. The leasing office will move into Vue53 next year.

7. Mock Bedroom

Here is another model bedroom at Vue53's leasing office, to give prospective tenants an idea of spacing and unit layout.