Existing Condition
Ford City Mall —
As It Stands Today
Opened in 1965 on a WWII-era Ford Motor plant site, Ford City was once the largest enclosed mall in Chicago outside downtown. Today, anchors are gone, the parking lot sits empty, and the City of Chicago has filed to shut it down. The bones remain. The opportunity is enormous.
As-Is · Front Entrance · S. Cicero Ave
The Sign That Built a Neighborhood
The iconic arched glass façade on S. Cicero Ave once greeted thousands of South Siders daily. The "Ford City" and "Food City" signage tells the whole story — retail and community, intertwined. Today it sits largely vacant. Ford City Commons would restore that daily purpose — and multiply it.
As-Is · Aerial View · Current Condition
~30 Acres of Untapped South Side Potential
From above, the scale becomes undeniable: a sprawling low-rise complex with massive flat rooftops — ideal for a solar array and rooftop greenhouse — surrounded by a sea of crumbling asphalt. Ford City Commons would transform this dormant footprint into the most vibrant mixed-use destination on Chicago's South Side.
↓ The Vision — What Ford City Commons Becomes ↓
Floor 1 + Rooftop
The Indoor Organic Farm — 40,000+ Sq Ft Growing Space
Ford City Commons eliminates Chicago's South Side food desert with one of the city's largest indoor farms — operating year-round across ground-floor grow rooms and a glass-enclosed rooftop greenhouse. Zero pesticides. Zero food miles. Produce sold at member pricing in the on-site food co-op and donated to Chicago Public Schools.
Ground Floor · Grow Room A
Precision Vertical Farming — Mobile Rack System
Mobile hydroponic rack units under full-spectrum LED arrays allow farmers to compact rows together between harvests and open aisles during tending. The same system used by Farm One in NYC — now proposed for the Commons' 12,000 sq ft ground-floor grow room. Produces herbs, microgreens, specialty lettuces, and edible flowers daily.
Rooftop · Glass Greenhouse
Rooftop Greenhouse — Living Rows with City Views
Floor-to-ceiling glazing floods hydroponic lettuce rows with natural Chicago sunlight while the skyline stretches to the horizon. The Commons targets 40,000+ sq ft of rooftop growing across six crop zones, feeding thousands of South Side families at member cost.
Growing Zone · Hydroponic Row System
Wall-to-Wall Green — Full Production
Row after row of living lettuce, kale, chard, red leaf, and specialty greens under warm LED arrays. The food desert ends here. Residents purchase produce at member pricing; surplus goes to local restaurants and community organizations.
Floor 2 · The Business Hub
Floor 2
The Business Hub — Co-Working, Conference & Event Spaces
The entire second floor is engineered for South Side entrepreneurs, freelancers, and growing businesses. Three adaptive-reuse workspace zones — open co-working, flexible meeting suites, and a biophilic executive lounge — all radiating off a central 500-person event hall. This is River North energy, delivered on Cicero Avenue.
Floor 2 · Open Co-Working · Zone D3
The Open Floor — Bold, Vibrant, Yours
Exposed ductwork overhead, color-coded ceiling panels in green and gold, flexible seating from solo focus pods to 8-person collaborative tables. 8,000 sq ft of co-working commons seats 200+ members. Day passes, weekly hot desks, and dedicated desks all available. Fiber throughout. 24/7 badge access.
Floor 2 · Meeting Zones · Conference Cluster
Pitch, Plan, Build — Meeting Zones for Every Need
Modular yellow breakout walls, movable ottomans, and glass-framed semi-private suites give businesses a professional setting without a long-term lease. All 10+ conference rooms — from 4-person huddle spaces to 40-person boardrooms — radiate off this central hub. Book by the hour or reserve a monthly block.
Floor 2 · Executive Lounge · Zone E3
Biophilic Lounge — Where Ideas Take Root
Tropical plants, velvet sectionals in moss and copper, and glass-walled private office suites create a calm, focused environment for deep work and client meetings. Accessible with any fractional business membership — a space that feels like a boutique hotel lobby on Chicago's South Side.
Floors 3–4 · Co-Op Residential
Floors 3 & 4
Co-Op Residential Units — Own Your Home. Build Generational Wealth.
300+ co-op units across two residential floors transform the upper structure into Chicago's most distinctive live/work community. Members purchase equity shares — not rent — in configurations from studios to 3-bedroom lofts. The Ford Motor plant's industrial heritage becomes your home's character: exposed timber beams, raw brick walls, soaring double-height ceilings, and hardwood floors tell the story of a building that worked for this city — and now works for you.
Floors 3–4 · Premium Loft Unit · Double-Height
Mezzanine Lofts — The Height of South Side Living
Double-height ceilings, steel mezzanine levels, exposed beams, and a wall of industrial windows define the premium loft tier. These units occupy the building's most dramatic structural volumes — the former plant's high-bay sections — converted into breathtaking live/work spaces. Equity shares from $120K. Member-controlled resale rules protect long-term affordability.
Floors 3–4 · Standard Loft Unit · Open Plan
Reclaimed Timber, Raw Brick, Open Plans
Original timber roof trusses, whitewashed brick, worn hardwood planks, and track lighting give every unit authentic industrial character that can't be replicated new. Open-plan living with designated work alcoves — designed for the way South Siders actually live. Equity shares from $80K. Priority right-of-first-refusal for existing community residents.