Marielle On The Park Revealed: 70 Luxury Condos Planned Across From Mary Bartelme Park
WEST LOOP— One of the most closely watched development sites near Mary Bartelme Park has changed direction again, this time returning to luxury for-sale housing.
New renderings have been released for Marielle On The Park, a proposed 24-story condominium tower at 23 S. Sangamon St. from Chicago developer Fern Hill. The latest plan calls for just 70 residences, replacing an earlier concept that would have delivered a much larger 33-story rental building. Fern Hill now describes the project as “boutique condominiums overlooking Mary Bartelme Park.”
The revised proposal has received approval from the Chicago Plan Commission, an important step forward, although additional zoning approvals are still needed before construction can begin.
From Nearly 200 Apartments to 70 Condos
The biggest change at 23 S. Sangamon is not the architecture. It is the type of housing being proposed.
The site has gone through several versions over the past five years. An earlier proposal called for a 19-story condominium building, followed by a dramatically larger 33-story rental tower with nearly 200 apartments and a field house facing Mary Bartelme Park.
Rendering of 23 S Sangamon Street by Eckenhoff Saunders
Fern Hill and architect Eckenhoff Saunders have now moved back toward a smaller, ownership-focused development with 24 stories and 70 condominiums. Individual residential floors would contain anywhere from four homes to a single residence, suggesting that units could become larger and more exclusive as the building rises.
That makes Marielle notably different from many of the high-density rental towers that have defined recent West Loop construction.
What Marielle On The Park Would Include
The latest plans show a mixed-use podium facing Mary Bartelme Park, with a small café space at the corner, a separate restaurant space, residential lobby and bicycle room.
Residents would have access to a 71-space parking garage, while the main amenity level is planned with:
A fitness center
A children's room
An outdoor amenity terrace
A lap pool
The building would also include a small public restroom and storage area for park equipment at ground level. That replaces the much larger field house proposed in the previous version of the development, which was removed after concerns about increased use of Mary Bartelme Park.
The project is expected to cost approximately $150 million to build and includes a planned $1.3 million contribution to Chicago's Neighborhood Opportunity Fund.
Affordable Housing Would Be Built Off-Site in Pilsen
One particularly notable part of the proposal is how Fern Hill plans to address affordable housing.
Rather than including affordable units inside Marielle On The Park, the development team is partnering with the Pilsen Housing Cooperative to create affordable for-sale housing off-site in the surrounding area.
That is a different model from the previous rental proposal, which would have incorporated affordable apartments into the development itself.
For buyers watching West Loop development, this distinction matters. Marielle is being positioned as a boutique condominium project rather than a conventional mixed-income rental tower, while the affordable-housing commitment would be delivered separately.
Specific details on the number, locations and pricing of those off-site homes had not been publicly detailed in the latest project update.
Why the Mary Bartelme Park Location Matters
The address may be one of Marielle's biggest selling points.
23 S. Sangamon St. sits directly across from Mary Bartelme Park, near Monroe Street and within walking distance of the restaurants, shops and entertainment concentrated throughout the West Loop and Fulton Market.
Fern Hill's own marketing language emphasizes that connection, describing Marielle as a residential experience “framed by trees and sunlight” overlooking the park.
For condo buyers, a direct park-facing location can create a very different experience from living several blocks deeper inside the neighborhood. Views, immediate access to green space and the amount of development that can occur directly in front of a residence can all influence how buyers compare two otherwise similar West Loop buildings.
The project's location also helps explain why the site has attracted repeated redevelopment proposals despite sitting vacant for years.
Pre-Sales Could Be the Next Major Milestone
With the revised design through the Plan Commission, Fern Hill is continuing through the city's zoning process.
The development team had been targeting August 2026 for the start of condominium pre-sales, ahead of a potential groundbreaking. However, no confirmed construction start date has been announced, and financing details have not been made public in the latest development reports.
That means buyers interested in Marielle should distinguish between a project that is progressing through approvals and one that is already under construction.
The next important signals will be final zoning approval, formal sales information, unit pricing and floor plans, followed by construction financing and a building permit.
Find the Right West Loop Condo Before You Buy the View
A park-facing new construction condo can be appealing, but the strongest purchase still comes down to more than renderings.
If you're considering Marielle On The Park or another West Loop condominium, connect with The Cory Tanzer Group at Option Premier to compare new construction, established condo buildings, association costs, parking, floor plans, resale history and nearby development before deciding which property offers the best fit and long-term value.
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