Chicago Construction News staff writer
A church-led mixed-use development valued at $580 million has broken ground in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, with plans for hundreds of residential units, a hotel, commercial space and cultural facilities along the 63rd Street corridor.
The Apostolic Church of God, Bishop Byron T. Brazier, community leaders, elected officials and development partners held a ceremonial groundbreaking for Woodlawn Central, which will transform about eight acres surrounding the church into a walkable, mixed-use district.
When fully built out, Woodlawn Central is expected to include approximately 870 to 1,000 residential units, a hotel, retail and office space, cultural and performance facilities, an urban farm and green space.
The development is being self-developed by ACOG Ventures, the limited liability company of the Apostolic Church of God. J. Byron Brazier is the lead developer, with P3 Markets serving as a development partner. Bowa Construction has been named construction manager and community partner.
Gensler is the architect for the project.
The first phase represents an investment of approximately $134 million. It will include about 104 residential units, including approximately 22 affordable homes, an approximately 160-room boutique hotel, retail space and about 300 parking spaces, along with bicycle parking.
The first phase will feature two approximately 14-story towers connected by a shared podium.
“This is an important moment for Woodlawn and the entire South Side,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Woodlawn knows what it means to be overlooked and to experience disinvestment, but today we are writing a different chapter defined by opportunity, stability, dignity and hope.”
Johnson said the development demonstrates that neighborhood investment can occur without displacing longtime residents while preserving the history, culture and institutions of Woodlawn.
“Woodlawn Central continues the legacy of bringing together housing, economic opportunity, businesses, jobs, hospitality and community spaces in a development designed to serve both the people who are here today and the generations who will follow,” Brazier said.
The development will be located near the Obama Presidential Center and the 63rd Street Metra station. Project plans call for a transit-oriented district with walkable streets, housing, retail and cultural spaces.
Woodlawn Central’s plans also include a 21,500-square-foot Black Box Theater, according to the project’s development website. The larger development is planned to include about 215,000 square feet of retail and office space and a 154-room hotel.
The project builds on the legacy of the late Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, a civil rights leader and longtime pastor of the Apostolic Church of God who advocated for economic development and neighborhood investment in Woodlawn.
Bowa Construction was brought onto the project as construction manager and community partner as part of a development partnership announced in 2025. At the time, project officials said Phase One would include a hotel, restoration and repurposing of the historic 63rd Street Metra headhouse and 140 mixed-income residential units.
The project has undergone changes since its initial announcement, including revisions to its overall development program and investment value. The current Woodlawn Central website describes an approximately 8-acre district with about 1.25 million square feet of planned development.
The development is expected to add housing, commercial activity, jobs and community amenities to the 63rd Street corridor while building on the Apostolic Church of God’s longstanding presence in Woodlawn.
