WICKER PARK — A storefront on the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Honore Street that served as the exterior of a fictional record shop in the "High Fidelity" movie starring John Cusack could see new life soon.
A Newcastle Limited-venture called House Music LLC purchased the commercial storefront on the first floor of 1514 N. Milwaukee Ave. for $1.4 million on Feb. 7, according to county records.
The storefront, which has been boarded up for years, was previously owned by Deborah Marie Peterson, according to records.
Located one block south of the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection, the 3,000-square-foot corner space, which extends down Honore Street, served as the exterior for "Championship Vinyl," a record store owned by Cusack's character, Rob Gordon.
Gordon chased out a pair of shoplifting teens from the shop in the 2000 movie.
"We are believers in the neighborhood and like the fact it is a corner location," said Brennan Hitpas, vice president of Newcastle Limited, who said his firm has not yet secured a tenant for the storefront.
The three-story building, which features a blue and white turret and contains several condo units above the street, was built in 1902 by Joseph Dercheimer and designed by architect H. Olgen, according to a 2007 report by the city's Department of Planning and Development.
The report lists the building as "contributing" to the Milwaukee Avenue Landmark District, where buildings are categorized into designations of "contributing," "not contributing," and "potentially contributing."
Described in a listing as, "a rare corner retail property in the heart of Wicker Park," the rental offers a 13-foot-tall ceiling and exposed brick walls.
For more information, visit the Newcastle website.
