Envy Apartment

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS — When Mary Myles became program manager of The Graham Home 25 years ago , 30 adults with special needs occupied 65 square-foot apartments. "It was tough on Mary when the place closed," said Gracepoint project manager Susan Morgan . "She'd be the one putting a bucket out when it leaked." Today, a partnership between Gracepoint and DDA Development has brought about a suitable replacement for the senior living facility . The Graham reopened last month and now Mary Myles sits in a corner office on the same property, overlooking a community garden and lush landscape. The 80 residents now occupy 646 square-foot apartments. No need for a bucket. "We wanted to create something better for them," Myles said. Gracepoint privately funded the project, the first affordable housing units Gracepoint built from the ground-up using low income housing tax credits and a loan from the state of Florida. "Mary had been making do with nothing,...

Of all the gleaming high- rise residences anchoring the Streeterville neighborhood, perhaps the new Optima Signature is one of the most artistic. You can't help but notice the striking red glass panels that wrap the lower seven floors of the modern apartment tower or the bright yellow free -form sculpture that stands in the plaza in front of the building. The color bursts are a signature of renowned architect and developer David Hovey of Glencoe. The 57- story Optima Signature at 220 E. Illinois St. is a joint venture between Hovey's firm, Optima Inc., and DeBartolo Development. The two also partnered in 2013 on the sister building next door, Optima Chicago Center . The base of that apartment tower is similarly clad in black glass. "Our focus is on architecture and contributing to the built environment but doing it in a way that resonates with the broader community and our residents," Optima Senior Vice President Mark Segal said. "We didn't design in ...