HUMBOLDT PARK — An ornate Jens Jensen building from the '20s that made Preservation Chicago's "most endangered buildings" list last year is likely going to be saved and converted into medical facilities.
The Pioneer Arcade building, 1535 N. Pulaski Road, has sat vacant since the mid-2000s, but is about to hit market for potential suitors to convert the space into a medical center.
The building is owned by the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, which is seeking to renovate both the interior and exterior of the existing building and build a sister structure to the south on what is currently an empty lot, according to Mikus Kins, executive vice president of RMX Real Estate.
"We’ve been working with them for a year to help them come up with a concept that makes sense to revitalize and preserve that building," Kins said. "It's an amazing building. It's just beautiful. It’s a grand building built in 1925, kind of a leftover of times past.”
The proposed redevelopment of the former arcade, to be named Pioneer Medical Center, would total between 20,000 to 50,000 square feet of built-to-suit medical facilities. It includes a covered parking garage, a two-story lobby and between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet of retail on the first floor.
The goal is to transform the building into a central medical facility for the neighborhood, which RMX Real Estate during its research found lacked an anchor medical facility.
The ideal situation would involved a hospital group taking over the entire space, but the project could involve multiple groups including dental practices, according to Kins. The group has been in talks with potential anchor tenants of the space, but the project is still in the preliminary stages, Kins said.
The new facilities would be adjacent to a 72-unit senior apartment building that the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation completed in 2014.
A representative from the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation declined comment for this story.
The Pioneer Arcade building was designed by the famed architect Jens Jensen and its facade has been called "one of Chicago's best examples" of 1920s Spanish colonial revival style.
Preservation Chicago included the building on its annual "7 Most Endangered Buildings" list last year.
The building was originally a "rec" center and was a popular spot for bowling and billiards for more than 80 years, according to the preservation group.
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