Wagner Place
Adaptive Reuse + Historic Preservation
As a sign of commitment to the city and residents, Ford Motor Co. redeveloped unused buildings and land across two blocks on the city’s West Dearborn District into a viable and vibrant downtown with new office and retail space.
Since this project completed in 2018, it has facilitated a resurgence of pedestrian activity downtown, offering residents a new and exciting place to gather.
Known as Wagner Place, this mixed-use development is located only two miles west of the Ford World Headquarters, and is part of Ford’s 10-year plan to redevelop its outdated properties and provide convenience for future employees who want to live in a walkable, aesthetically pleasing community close to where they work.
This project included two new structures with retail + restaurant uses on the first floor and space for 600 Ford employees on the upper two floors. Neumann/Smith Architecture also rehabilitated and preserved the historic 120-year-old facade of the Wagner Hotel to be re-purposed as the front of a new three-story mixed-use building. West Village Drive was designed to allow for festivals and open public gathering spaces. A 373-space parking deck was added at the southwest corner of West Village Drive and Monroe Street to support the project and the district.
To encourage outdoor activity and community gatherings, a green space called Wagner Park was created between the parking garage and the new buildings facing Michigan Avenue was created. It is currently used for public events such as the weekly Farmer’s Markets.