Webster Square Apartments is a 6-story, 76-unit apartment building nearing completion at 558 W Webster Ave in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. It’s the first sizable new rental building to be built in Lincoln Park in several decades.
The apartments are part of a larger development on the site of the former Lincoln Park Hospital, which was shuttered years ago. The apartments are in a building converted from office usage. The hospital building is being converted to condominiums. Eight lots are available on Grant Place for the construction of single-family homes.
A parking lot on the south side of Webster Ave is also home to a new upscale grocer, Mrs Green’s.
The developer is Sandz Development Co, which has been active in Lincoln Park for more than 40 years. The architecture firm for the project is Solomon Cordwell Buenz.
The apartments
Webster Square has 21 separate floor plans of convertible, 1- and 2-bedroom, 1- and 2-bath apartments.
Floor plans and pricing are available online. As of mid-February 2014 convertibles rented from $1,997, 1-bedrooms from $1,914 and 2-bedroom, 1-baths from $2,788, and 2-bedroom, 2-baths from $2,874. The apartments have individual heating and air-conditioning.
Apartments have 9-foot ceilings, plank flooring in living areas and carpeted bedrooms. Layouts are generally very functional, with little space lost to hallways. Closet space varies from so-so to good. Individual storage lockers are available in the building.
Kitchens have contemporary cabinetry, quartz countertops and a stainless steel appliance package that includes a French door refrigerator with bottom freezer, an electric oven, gas cooktop, dishwasher and built-in microwave. All of the apartments have in-unit washer / dryers.
Studio apartments span nearly 700 square feet – the size of many one-bedrooms – and have well-defined sleeping areas.
Most of the two-bedroom plans have the popular split-bedroom layout. Bedroom sizes vary, but are typically on the smaller side. Several of the second-floor one-bedroom layouts have windowless bedrooms.
Baths have oversized vanities with quartz countertops and stall showers. Only one of the floor plans features a bath with a tub.
None of the units have private outdoor space.
Views. The dramatic skyline views shown on the building’s website appear to be shot from the condominium portion of the development rather than from the 6-story apartment building. Some of the units will have good views of the skyline to the south.
Amenities, services, policies
Webster Square offers more extensive common-area amenities than you’ll find in most Lincoln Park apartment buildings.
The building has a rooftop sundeck with gas grills, a fitness center, a “club room” with kitchen, a business center and a bike storage room.
Webster Square is pet-friendly, subject to limits.
The location
Webster Square is at the six-way intersection of Lincoln Ave, Geneva Terr and Webster Ave. Webster and Geneva are quiet residential streets and Lincoln is a busy, pedestrian-scale commercial strip.
The property has an attractive location with good proximity to parks, shopping, bars, restaurants, public transportation and DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus.
Shopping. Webster Square has convenient access to grocery shopping.
Mrs Green’s, an upscale grocer that’s a recent arrival to the area, is just across Webster Ave. Whole Foods will be opening shortly at Fullerton and Sheffield, adjacent to the CTA stop.
Construction has yet to begin, but when it’s complete the redeveloped Children’s Hospital site, a block north of the building, will significantly increase retail shopping opportunities in the immediate area.
Dining, nightlife, entertainment.
You’ll find an outstanding selection of bars and restaurants along Lincoln Ave, Armitage Ave, Clark St and Halsted St, all within a short walk of Webster Square.
Four Farthings Tavern, a block south of Webster Square, has been a local favorite for decades.
Stanley’s Kitchen, Sedgwick’s, Gamekeepers and River Shannon are some of the options you’ll find along Armitage Ave, two blocks south of the building.
Lincoln Ave north of Webster Square is packed with a wide variety of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, including Lion Head Pub, O’Malley’s West, John Barleycorn and the Original Potbelly.
Local favorites a short walk east of Webster Square along Clark St include R.J. Grunts, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, Eleven Lincoln Park and Riccardo Trattoria.
There are two excellent restaurants on the park at Belden: Mon Ami Gabi and L2o, which retained its Michelin two-star rating.
The immediate neighborhood hosts a number of street fairs and festivals in the summer, including the Taste of Lincoln Avenue and the spectacular Old Town Art Fair, now in its 65th year.
Parks, recreation. Webster Square has excellent proximity to public parks.
Webster Square is directly across Lincoln Ave from the 13-acre Oz Park. The park has ball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a children’s playground, a community garden and Oz-themed statuary.
Many of the 1,200-acre Lincoln Park‘s most popular attractions, including the Zoo, the Conservatory and its gardens, the landmark Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum are within walking distance of WebsterSquare.
Transportation. Webster Square’s has good but not great access to public transportation.
The nearest CTA train station, the Red, Brown and Purple line stop at Fullerton is a 12-minute walk northwest of the building.
The #74 bus stops outside Webster Square and connects to the Fullerton El stop. The #37 bus also stops outside the building, connects to the Brown and Purple line station at Sedgwick, and proceeds on into the Loop. The #22 Clark and #36 Broadway buses, a few short blocks east, also travel into the Loop.
Taxi service is nearly always available outside the building. The nearest Zipcar car-sharing location are within a few blocks of the building. A DIVVY bike-sharing location is across the street from the building.
Access to I-90/94 and the city’s expressway grid is inconvenient, and can be a source of misery during peak hours.
The competition
You’ll find many more rental options on our at-a-glance list of Lincoln Park apartments
Rentals are typically available in a number of nearby condo buildings, sometimes at sharply lower rents than in the managed apartment buildings.
You’ll find additional tips and options at YoChicago’s Guide to renting in Lincoln Park.
Share your take on Webster Square
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