Historic Preservation + Development
We bridge past and future through expert planning, craftsmanship, and policy — helping communities integrate their heritage into sustainable, modern development.
"Historic Preservation is strongest when coupled with development — a practice that champions sustainability and the bridged connection between past and future by action in the present."
— Bradley Gordon Allen, Founder
What We Do
National Register and local historic district designations that unlock financing and protect character.
Section 106 consultation, Certificate of Appropriateness applications, and municipal review navigation.
Feasibility studies, tax credit modeling, and development pro formas that make preservation projects pencil out.
Historic resource documentation that meets SHPO standards and sets the foundation for designation work.
High-resolution documentation that replaces guesswork with precision — for assessments, litigation, and documentation.
Multi-stakeholder facilitation that brings municipal, private, and nonprofit interests into productive agreement.
Our Work
A selection of completed historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects across Chicago.
Adaptive Reuse — Lincoln Park
Transformed a c.1887 industrial warehouse into mixed-use residential — preserving original timber trusses while adding modern infrastructure. National Register listed.
Historic District — Wicker Park
Full exterior and structural rehabilitation of a 1912 vaudeville theater. Navigated COA process with HPC over 18 months. Building now houses a restaurant and event space.
Resource Survey — Pilsen
Comprehensive historic resource survey of 47 contributing structures along the 18th Street corridor, delivered on a tight 90-day SHPO deadline for a threatened district.
Economic Planning — West Loop
Developed the preservation economics case for a 6-block TIF district. Modeled tax credit stack, pro forma scenarios, and community benefit agreements with the city.
How We Work
Deep research into history, context, stakeholders, and economic realities. No templates — every property is different.
Documentation, nominations, compliance packages, and feasibility models that hold up to municipal and federal scrutiny.
Navigate HPC hearings, developer interests, and community concerns to find paths forward that actually work.
From adaptive reuse to new construction on historic parcels — we see projects through to completion.
The places that matter most are often the ones most at risk of being lost. Not to demolition — to the false choice between preservation and progress. North Wake Development exists to make that choice obsolete.
Start a Conversation
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Location
Chicago, Illinois
Specialization
Chicago metro + Northern Illinois historic properties
Services
Nominations · Compliance · Surveys · Economic Planning · Drone & LiDAR
Bradley Gordon Allen
Founder, North Wake Development