UPTOWN — A real estate firm with a growing presence in Uptown recently added a historic building to its roster and is seeking a tenant.
Cedar Street Companies, the developer behind the FLATS Chicago brand, announced last week the $625,000 purchase of a three-story, 15,000-square-foot building at 1050 W. Wilson Ave. that has a vaudevillian past as the former Wilson Avenue Theatre.
The 104-year-old building, designed by architect Henry L. Ottenheimer, opened in 1908 and most recently housed a TCF Bank branch.
Cedar Street said in a statement that it would be seeking “a unique tenant that not only respects the grandeur of the space, but also adds value to the Uptown community.” The firm added that the property was not purchased to become a FLATS building.
On Friday, housing advocates protested outside the Gold Coast home of Cedar Street and FLATS partner Jay Michael, demanding that 20 percent of units in the seven FLATS buildings planned for Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park be set aside for affordable housing.
The experience left Michael promising to never again work with the group, the Organization of the Northeast.
