• Planning / Mixed-Use
• Ara Macao Resort & Marina
• Huntley Station
• Rosemont Walk Master Plan
• The Esplanade of Algonquin
• Westgate Redevelopment Project
• Hospitality / Entertainment
• Office/Retail
• Restaurants

Mention Westgate or the Colt Building in Oak Park and you are likely to hear a variety of opinions on these historic places. On one end, a passion for conservation and historic preservation dominates the thinking. On the other end, there is the desire to start anew with a fresh canvas. We had the good fortune of designing a development which sought to find a balance between these two points of view.

The vision of the project was conceived by Dr. Ivanovic, an Oak Park resident. Together with a fine development team which includes McShane Construction Corporation and Krueger & Associates, Aria Group Architects, Inc. put together a mixed-use development design for Dr. Ivanovic that respects the historical traditions of these places while infusing a new critical mass of quality uses to Oak Park’s original downtown.

Our design for south of Westgate includes a state-of-the-art 97,000 SF medical office center and parking garage. Ground level retail space anchors these structures. Direct connection to parking, a sky lit atrium and a pedestrian bridge link to the Colt building are some the features of this design. North of Westgate and fronting on Lake Street we proposed salvaging the historic aspects of the original Colt building and transforming it into a viable, 111 room boutique hotel and a 14,000 SF banquet and conference center. We proposed re-activating the public breezeway that bisects the plan and building up from there; adding 3 additional floors to the original 2 story structure.

Our design solution creates the opportunity to bring great vitality to the downtown area and provides a new weekday customer base for our valued retail merchants. It accomplishes all this within the confines of the current land ownership, and retains the spirit of Oak Park’s Redevelopment Master Plan.