Historic Pilsen church may become apartment complex

An old church in the heart of Pilsen could turn into a new seven-story apartment complex tailored for middle- to low-income residents and families as early as 2021.

The Resurrection Project, a faith-based developer in Pilsen, unveiled its plans to turn St. Vitus into a 54,220 square-foot, 42-unit apartment building at a community meeting on Wednesday.

St. Vitus, opened in 1898, sits at the corner of 18th Place and Paulina Street, half a block from the 18th Street Pink Line "L" stop and across from La Casa, a five-story residence hall for college students owned by The Resurrection Project.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago closed St. Vitus in 1990 and transferred its lien to The Resurrection Project for $10 two years later, according to news accounts at the time. By 1995, the non-profit had turned the church's parish into a child-care center and made office space out of the rectory. The church space was made open for community gatherings, but a fire in 2000 charred much of its interior and it has remained vacant since..

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