By Jennifer Martin
n 1925, thousands of Chicagoans could barely afford to travel downtown, even on public transit. So Wieboldt’s Department
Store constructed a 300,000-square-foot department store west
of the city where affordable clothing and furniture were available.
The store was popular in its heyday. But more than 75 years later,
it was a derelict, vacant warehouse at the corner of Ashland Avenue and Adams Streets. Several development groups had tried
to repurpose the building but failed because of its bulky, awkward design.
Enter the architectural firm Bauhs Dring Seglin Main, Ltd. With more than 25 years of experience, the firm brought its team of
award-winning architects to the project and found a way to transform the ramshackle building. The “eureka” moment came
when the team designed a “doughnut hole,” a circular inner courtyard that allowed the rest of the building to unfold around it.
“The big concern was how to reduce the amount of wasted space, and the courtyard allowed us to do that while gaining
additional condo units,” said architect Todd Main, one of the firm’s two partners. “Besides the two story glass addition to atop
the building, we incorporated that same fenestration detail for the walls of the interior courtyard units so that everyone could
look down into the courtyard and see the beautiful features, like the old exposed brick, the tables and chairs, and flora and foliage.
It turned out to be a nice project.”
The new development, called Paramount Lofts, won the Loft Development of the Year award from the Chicago real estate industry in 2004. It’s one of the many ingenious projects that Bauhs Dring Seglin Main, Ltd., has accomplished since its inception in 1974.
Founded by Bill Bauhs, who passed away 11 years ago, and Bill Dring, who retired 10 years ago, the firm has won dozens of awards and media mentions over the years. Two of its residential projects recently appeared on HGTV, and its work has been noted in journals as far away as Germany. The firm tackles both commercial and residential projects and is known for serving clients with discerning tastes.
“Twenty years ago, people would come in with a couple of clippings and say, ‘I want to do this to my house,’” Main said. “Today, you can see everything on the Web, and people come in with a binder full of ideas. In one sense, that makes it easier because you know what they’re looking for. In another, it makes the project more challenging because you’re trying to give them all the features they want within the budget they have in mind.”
But the architects at Bauhs Dring enjoy a challenge. Projects unfold with a myriad of suggestions and ideas throughout the process. Main remembered one project in which a client wanted
a residence that felt home-like, yet displayed his art collection to maximum effect. Among many other ideas, Bauhs Dring
created a gentle maze of interior walls that never touched the floor or ceiling. Art and display lights were mounted on the walls.
“It gave the motif of a museum and allowed light to flow above and below the walls,” Main said. “It also offered some separation between the rooms that was quite dramatic. The home flowed very well.”
Main and his partner, David Seglin, make it a point to remain highly attuned to the market’s needs and tastes. The firm sits on
the board of the Home Builders’ Association/City Division, which puts it in a position to help develop new codes, not simply
react to them. The firm’s clients know about these changes a year or more before they’re implemented, putting them at a
competitive advantage no matter what type of real estate they’re developing.
In fact, the firm makes excellent communication with clients its top priority. Main and Seglin are constantly staying abreast of
the latest technologies in construction and materials, which means they can present their clients with cutting-edge options
in design and detailing. Main and Seglin consider this level of service a normal standard.
“Our greatest strength is our ability to listen to our clients and give them a wide range of choices,” Main said. “Our philosophy
is that we’re not living in the house; they are. Ultimately it’s the client’s decision that should stand as the single most
important beacon to us in our work.”

Bauhs Dring Seglin Main, Ltd.
One East Delaware Street
Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 649-9484
(312) 649-9508
www.bdsmarchitects.com
tmain@bdsmarchitects.com