By the Hand Club for Kids Gets $14.5M Permit for 13122 S. Ellis
A Chicago permit issued Oct. 28 lists $14.5M for renovating a one-story building and adding a gymnasium at 13122 S. Ellis Ave. for By the Hand Club for Kids.
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By the Hand Club for Kids, a Chicago youth nonprofit, holds a permit issued Oct. 28, 2026 to renovate an existing one-story building at 13122 S. Ellis Ave. on the far South Side and add a gymnasium. The permit lists a reported cost of $14.5 million.
Why it matters
A $14.5 million project on a one-story building is a large commitment for a nonprofit. The permit pairs a renovation with a new gymnasium, which signals an expansion of on-site programming rather than routine upkeep.
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The permit shows the owner is the organization itself, not a developer entity, so the project is likely funded through the organization’s own capital campaign, though the record does not say.
The numbers
Permit 101084225 lists $14,500,000 for renovation plus a gymnasium addition, with educational occupancy and Type II-A construction. It went through standard plan review: the application was filed June 2 and the permit issued Oct. 28, about five months later. Ujamaa Construction is the general contractor on the record.
The record also lists a standard-plan-review track, which is the more detailed city review used for larger or more complex buildings. The permit does not give the gym’s size or the building’s total area, so we do not state a cost per square foot. The cost is applicant-reported.
What’s next
The permit sits in ward 10 on the city’s far southeast side. Watch for a groundbreaking or capital-campaign announcement, which is where funding sources and a schedule would appear. Other South Side institutional starts are tracked on the Chicago market page.
ON THE RECORD: City of Chicago building permit 101084225, issued Oct. 28, 2026. Cost is applicant-reported.
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Quick answers
- What is the latest on 13122 S Ellis Ave?
- A Chicago permit issued Oct. 28 lists $14.5M for renovating a one-story building and adding a gymnasium at 13122 S. Ellis Ave. for By the Hand Club for Kids.
- Who is developing 13122 S Ellis Ave?
- By the Hand Club for Kids and Ujamaa Construction, according to City of Chicago Building Permits.
- What are the key numbers for 13122 S Ellis Ave?
- reported cost: $14.5M; story: 1; to permit: 5 months.
On the record
Permit 101084225, issued 2026-10-28 (application 2026-06-02, standard plan review), lists By the Hand Club for Kids as owner and a reported cost of $14,500,000 for renovation of an existing one-story building and a gymnasium addition (educational occupancy, construction type II-A); Ujamaa Construction, Inc. is general contractor.
Permit · data.cityofchicago.org