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New Tenant Means End of Mural on 'High Fidelity' Storefront

By Alisa Hauser | July 31, 2014 5:50pm
 A storefront at 1514 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park that has not been used in several years and served as the exterior set for scenes in "High Fidelity" will see a new tenant soon, sources said.
1514 N. Milwaukee Ave.
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WICKER PARK —   An artist painting a mural over a boarded-up storefront that served as the exterior for a fictional record shop in the movie "High Fidelity" said his work will be removed soon because a new tenant is moving into the long-vacant corner space.

"I know it will have to come down soon, but I don't know when and am trying to find out," said Adam Rotter, who was touching up his mural early Thursday.

Rotter said it was the mural's seventh touch-up in five months, prompted by the fact taggers had defaced his work, which features a woman's face alongside a bubble cartoon question, as if she is thinking aloud.

Alisa Hauser may have forgotten the details of High Fidelity, but she says its a recognizable building to many Wicker Park residents:

"Lollapalooza or Riot Fest? Maybe both!? Ok... yay both!" the cartoon reads.

Rotter said he hopes the mural will stay up long enough for Riot Fest, which is in September.

Boarded up for almost 15 years, the storefront at 1514 N. Milwaukee Ave., on the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Honore Street, was used as an exterior set scene in the cult movie, "High Fidelity."

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 John Cusack's character, Rob Gordon.

While no one will confirm the next tenant, there is speculation that a national retailer may be be signing on. The property's owner, Newcastle Limited, owns other Wicker Park buildings that house a Nike shop and Urban Outfitters. Two other national retailers, Tom's Shoes and Shinloa, are rumored to be setting up shop in the neighborhood.

Previously owned by Deborah Marie Peterson, the property was purchased for $1.4 million in February by  Newcastle Limited, which owns several buildings along the 1400 and 1500 blocks of North Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.

In March, the city issued a building permit for a $300,000 rehab of the building's commercial storefront.

On Thursday, a worker from contractors RCC Construction said they finished their portion of the renovation, which including gutting the space, which features exposed brick walls and 13-foot ceilings.

Rotter works at nearby Propaganda T-Shirts and is not being paid for the mural, which he said he is doing for fun in his down time, an arrangement he made with the prior building's owner.

Even in the "High Fidelity" movie, the corner of the building was boarded up, so it is unclear what is beneath the wooden boards.

Samuel Hergott, a retail portfolio manager for Newcastle Limited, declined to comment on when a new tenant might be moving into the storefront, save for saying, "It's very exciting; we are excited to have a new tenant in there. "

Hegott declined to comment on the status of the mural along the side of the building and when the boards would be removed.

When asked why the storefront was boarded up for so long, Hergott said, "I do not know why the previous owner did not use it and we have been trying hard to actively lease the space."

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.

 

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