Named for the famed publisher of the Chicago Daily News, the Victor Lawson YMCA was completed in 1931 as the largest men’s residence on Chicago’s Near North Side. The building held six hundred and fifty rooms, all with hot water, radio, and telephone access. Both the exteriors and interiors were designed in the modernist art deco style, with large scale bas relief sculptures adoring the exterior walls promoting virtues like self-improvement, fortitude, and faith. Edgar Miller was commissioned to design stained glass windows for the building’s chapel to complement the modern, inlaid decorative elements done by other artists.

The chapel became a special amenity for travelers and migrants who came to stay at the building. The intention to inspire can be felt in the vision of the artwork. The verticality of the windows encouraged visitors to look ever upward for insight.

For many decades, the chapel was closed to public use and maintained as an office. In 2021, the building was sold and renovations began to convert the building into a new affordable housing residence. The twenty-four story building has been transformed into a residential building of over four hundred units, with its art deco elements meticulously preserved, including the limestone, granite, and terra cotta elements on its exterior. The chapel also was preserved and continues to be used as a private space. A grand opening for the new residential building, The Lawson House, was held and officiated by Mayor Brandon Johnson in April, 2024.

Construction photos below from Block Club Chicago and architecture firm Farrside (Photographers: Colin Boyle, 2023, Eric J. Nordstrom, 2023, and Farrside, 2023).