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Award-winning Goldblatt's Building Readies for Upcoming Retail, Apartments

By Darryl Holliday | July 21, 2014 9:44am
 The former Goldblatt's building in Logan Square will soon include several new retail outlets in a push to revitalize the triangle corner of Milwaukee, Diversey and Kimball avenues, according to the building’s property managers.
Goldblatt's Building
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LOGAN SQUARE — The former Goldblatt's building in Logan Square soon will include several new retail outlets in a push to revitalize the triangle corner of Milwaukee, Diversey and Kimball avenues, according to the building’s property managers.

The building spans nearly the entire block and covers 100,000 square feet, half of which is dedicated to retail development, said Andrea Miller of Miller Chicago. The 87–year-old building sits at 2760-2778 N. Milwaukee Ave.

"We’ve seen interest and had conversations with a lot of different tenants: a restaurant, a furniture store, a brewery, an antique store,” Miller said. “It takes awhile for this stuff to play out, but people want to see how the process goes.”

 Lofts above the former Goldblatt's department store have rents ranging from $1,300 for one-bedroom units to $2,300 for three-bedroom units.
Lofts above the former Goldblatt's department store have rents ranging from $1,300 for one-bedroom units to $2,300 for three-bedroom units.
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DNAinfo/Darryl Holliday

The building is being redeveloped into a mixed-use property that will bring 49 apartments and retail to the corner when construction is finished this fall.

“The first phase [of the project] won two awards, so hopefully they win some awards for this phase,” Miller said. “I’m sure it will, honestly. It’s beautiful."

Those accolades include a Logan Square Preservation Award and the City of Chicago Preservation Excellence Award to building developer Fox Chicago. Repair and renovation work are most prominent on the building’s flagship section, which houses a Gap Outlet store, and includes a slew of interior and exterior alterations.

Everything in the building besides the Gap Outlet will be closing.

According to the Chicago Landmarks Commission, that work included terra cotta repair, masonry cleaning, replacement of non-historic glass block windows with new ones to match the historic configuration, storefront repairs, removal of fire escapes and abandoned sign metalwork and the installation of new light fixtures along the parapet.

“The rehabilitation of this building contributes to the continued growth of this important six-corner intersection,” the award notice read.

Miller said the lofts above the Gap store were vacant offices before Fox began developing the building.  The southern sections of the building, including retail areas and offices, also were mostly unoccupied.

The property now includes lofts that rent for $1,300-$1,400 for one-bedroom units; $1,750-$1,900 for two bedrooms, and $2,200-$2,300 for three bedrooms.

The leases of the building's former retail tenants were not renewed at the location — leaving several “we have moved” signs on the windows beside the last holdout, the warehouse-sized Shoe Source, 2768 N. Milwaukee Ave., which will close Sept. 1, according to a store manager.

The goal is to create a “revitalized” corner that serves as an all-in-one district for residents and shoppers, Miller said.

“Everyone wants to do that locally — get food, drink, shop — all that will promote the area growing. Residents will come in and retail will come in,” Miller said.

“It’s an excellent location,” she added. “It’s a beautiful building, and the area is blowing up.”

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