An unprecedented public-private redevelopment agreement will create a new Engine Co. 42 fire station in the base of a new office tower in River North under a plan approved today by City Council.

The new, 30,000-square-foot station will be built for the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) by developer Friedman Properties Ltd. immediately west of the existing Engine Co. 42 station, located on the southwest corner of Dearborn and Illinois streets. Once complete, the current station will be replaced by a 614,000-square-foot office tower that will incorporate the new fire station within its base.

As part of the development agreement, Friedman will pay the City $5 million for the 14,600- square-foot firehouse property and an adjacent, 3,150-square-foot alley. The developer will also pay an estimated $10.9 million in density bonuses to create the 614,000-square-foot tower, which will be clad in glass- and aluminum and include approximately 50 below-grade parking spaces for office workers and fire department personnel. The anticipated address is 444 N. Dearborn St.

The existing station, built in 1968 at 55 W. Illinois St., also houses CFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau. Its three-story replacement will offer variety of modern amenities, including an apparatus room, quarters for the crew, offices, and a community room to engage residents and a training room for the Fire Prevention Bureau, among other upgrades.

The original Engine Co. 42 fire station, built in 1887 at 228 W. Illinois St., is a designated City of Chicago landmark.

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