1312 N. Front St. is like nothing we've seen, and we've seen most of the construction in this town in the last five years. Traveling under the El, it catches the eye right away.

Getting framed out

Closer look

View on Hope Street

The building, which is being built on the site of a surface parking lot, has the profile of a ski slope or a lousy roller coaster. According to permits, it will ultimately contain six apartments and a retail space on Front Street. We got our mitts on some renderings from Interface Studio Architects, and you can see just how cool this building is gonna look when it's finished.

Rendering on Front Street

Rendering on Hope Street

You can see, the slope of the building will allow for some balconies on the eastern side of the building but will provide some setbacks from the trains as they rumble past. In addition, a section of the building that has yet to be framed will provide the retail space, still available for lease, with some additional ceiling height and natural light. We get it that many people may not line up to live so close to the El, but perhaps the look of the building will get people a little more willing to look past that issue.

As for the commercial space, we'll be very interested to see who eventually takes it over. We've seen an uptick in commercial interest in Front Street of late, and this should just add to the momentum. Whoever does take it will certainly be able to brag that they've got a home in the the coolest looking space in the area. Hm, maybe a coffee shop would work here…