It's been less than a month since a big red construction crane appeared above the Six Corners shopping district on Chicago's northwest side. And during that time, the upcoming 10-story senior living development known as the Clarendale Six Corners has started to take shape.

The $117 million project—which is designed, developed, and built by the Ryan Companies—is already poking up above the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue,  Irving Park Road, and Cicero Avenue. The new structure replaces an unsightly water-filled pit that sat at the corner for years after a Bank of America branch was torn down in 2015. 

Jay Koziarz/Urbanize Chicago

When complete, the Clarendale will deliver 258 age-restricted residences. The unit breakdown includes 114 independent living apartments designed, 98 assisted living residences, and 46 units reserved for memory care.

Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) temporarily held up zoning approvals for the project when he took office in 2019 and negotiated with the developer to add 11 affordable housing units. Gardiner told the Sun-Times in 2020 that he was "most proud" of getting affordable units to be built on-site when market-rate rents in the building range from $4,000 to $7,500 a month.

"This was a long time coming, and we're ready to be an important anchor in the redevelopment of this prominent intersection," said Dan Walsh, Ryan Companies' senior vice president of development, in a groundbreaking news release in January.

"This property will give our residents and employees access to a wide range of amenities right outside their doorstep, all while helping the Six Corners shopping district continue its resurgence as a critical destination for the northwest neighborhoods and powerful engine for the local economy."

Jay Koziarz/Urbanize Chicago

The Clarendale is one piece of a larger 4-acre development known as The Point. The mixed-use complex features retail space anchored by a new Aldi supermarket as well as 215 off-street parking spaces.

Streetscape improvements include a pair of plazas. There's also a mid-block pedestrian connection that will cut beneath the new building between Milwaukee Avenue and Irving Park Road.

The Clarendale Six Corners will create approximately 650 union construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs over a 20-year period, according to its developers.