6th Annual Design Competition 2026
New Vision for chicago’s historic motor district
The Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art is pleased to announce the 6th Bi-annual Chicago-Midwest ICAA Design Competition which is open to all architects, landscape architects, artisans and students. Competition will be judged “blind” and entries may be submitted by individuals or teams of any number. Participants will have 3 months to conceive and illustrate designs for architecture, landscape architecture and art within the project boundaries indicated in the site map.
This is presented as part of the Richard H. Driehaus Curricula for the Built Environment at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. The ICAA is very grateful to the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for its generous support of this program.
Disclaimer: This competition is completely hypothetical. It is neither solicited nor endorsed by the Historic Pullman Foundation, The City of Chicago, or any other parties with interests within the competition boundary lines.
Rationale
The Historic Motor Row District is in Chicago’s Near South Side. The district was built between 1905 and 1936 as the automobile industry was booming. Auto rows developed in many major US cities as a location for manufacturers to sell and repair cars at the ease of their urban clientele. Some notable marques in Chicago’s Motor Row included Ford, Buick, Fiat, and Cadillac. The district today is mixed-used with residential, retail and, more recently, music and entertainment venues. Motor Row was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2000 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Many of the buildings on Motor Row were designed by prominent architects of the time. The architecture includes two-story buildings that were used for showrooms as well as multi-story buildings used for the service of automobiles. The district is located immediately west of McCormick Place convention center, so the district has strong potential to provide accommodation and entertainment to the heavy visitor traffic of McCormick Place.
The landmark district contains several vacant lots that provide opportunities for reimagining and revitalizing the neighborhood. This competition is a hypothetical situation where entrants will reimagine 1 of 3 sites within the Historic Motor Row District. Richness in detail - for architecture, landscape architecture and/or public art - is encouraged. Solutions should enhance the visitor experience and encourage site activation in all four seasons, contributing to the revitalization of the neighborhood. Designs should be complementary to the district’s historical architectural language without being imitative. Design proposals are encouraged to provide solutions in the form of architecture, landscape architecture, and/or public art elements.
2nd Place
Sharon Yehnert & Anne Northrop
Garrett Nagorzanski, Luke Fortener, Sydney Heim
2nd Place
Angelica Ketcham
Program description
Entrants may propose to include some or all the area within one of the two competition boundaries. New functions within the area may also be proposed. The inclusion of parking, public restrooms and/or other practical components are entirely at the submitter’s discretion. If Site 1 is selected, any displaced program should be accommodated within the new proposed program. If Site 2 is selected, the space program is at the discretion of the entrant, as well as how much, or little, the existing structure is retained. Design solutions are to be respectful of the historical context without being imitative. The proposals should encourage community engagement and provide opportunity for continued crossover between historical education and public art. The site should be fully accessible to persons with disabilities.
2026 Winner
2026 Jurors
Gary Ainge | Gary Ainge Fine Art & Founding Chicago ICAA Board Member
John Haigh | Associate Professor of Architecture, Department Chair at Benedictine College
Elizabeth McNicholas | McNicholas Architects & Founding Chicago ICAA Board Member
Duncan Stroik | Duncan G Stroik Architect & Professor of Notre Dame School of Architecture
Anne Sullivan | Associate Professor, M.S. Historic Preservation Department, School of the Art Institute of Chicago