In 2007, Riis Borg was privileged to receive two distinguished awards for its construction services at the Chicago & North Western Railway Powerhouse, a three-story mixed-use commercial building at 211 N. Clinton Ave. Friends of Downtown, a civic organization founded in 1981, conferred the “Best Adaptive Reuse” award to Riis Borg for its work on the prominent structure. That same year, the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois presented its annual Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Outstanding Adaptive Reuse to the Powerhouse and Riis Borg.

Designed by the architectural firm of Frost & Granger, the 1911 Beaux Arts structure is located immediately north of the Ogilvie Transportation Center alongside the Metra commuter railroad tracks. For the first half of the 20th century, it housed coal-fired boilers and generators that powered the Northwestern railroad terminal. The Powerhouse was vacated after 1960 and languished for 40 years until it was purchased for redevelopment in 2003. Two years later, the structure, noted for its 223-foot smokestack, was designated a City of Chicago historical landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Powerhouse project team included Riis Borg, Hartshorne + Plunkard Architects, and Structured Development, the real estate developer and owner/occupant of the Powerhouse.

The Chicago Chapter of CFMA (Construction Financial Management Association) hosted its first community outreach event at the Greater Chicago Food Depository on Thursday, May 20th. Riis Borg held a mini food drive of its own to contribute to the event. Non-perishable food items were collected by the Riis Borg team and transported to the GCFD by our Controller and newly-appointed CFMA President, Tracey Fenolio. Priority items needed by the GCFD included pasta, pasta sauce, rice, oatmeal, canned fruits, canned vegetables and soup. Riis Borg was able to collect 55 non-perishable food items in the span of about a week, including 19 pounds of pasta and rice, and almost 300 ounces of pasta sauce.

We are also extremely proud to announce that this year’s CFMA General Member of the Year award was presented to Tracey at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 11th. The award recognizes her many contributions to the organization.