CHICAGO — Zurich North America has signed a 52,000-square-foot office lease at Willis Tower, which is located at 233 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago. Zurich, a global insurer, will occupy floors 53 and 54, relocating its downtown Chicago office from 300 S. Riverside Plaza. The new office will feature innovative workplace design and technology to enable collaboration within a hybrid environment. Zurich’s primary North American headquarters will remain in Schaumburg, Ill., where the company launched its U.S. operations in 1912. Zurich is expected to transition to Willis Tower in summer 2026. Todd Mintz of JLL represented Zurich in the lease. Nikki Kern of The Telos Group LLC represented the landlord, Perform Properties.
GLENDALE HEIGHTS, ILL. — Venture One Real Estate, through its acquisition fund VK Industrial VII LP, has acquired a 67,565-square-foot freezer/cooler building in the Chicago suburb of Glendale Heights. The property at 601 Wall St. was fully leased at the time of sale to KeHE Distributors, a specialty food distributor. Situated in the High Grove Business Park, the building offers direct access to I-355 via Army Trail Road. The precast facility was constructed in 1991 and expanded in 2005. The asset features clear heights ranging from 22 to 37 feet, 10 exterior docks, four drive-in doors and parking for 10 trailers. There is 38,087 square feet of freezer space with glycol floors, 16,139 square feet of production space and 3,594 square feet of cold docks. Will McCormack and John Huguenard of JLL represented the seller, LBA Logistics. VK Industrial VII is co-sponsored by Venture One and Kovitz Investment Group.
CHICAGO — Interra Realty has arranged the sales of two Chicago apartment buildings. A 14-unit property constructed in 2023 at 5069 N. Northwest Highway in the Jefferson Park neighborhood sold for $5.7 million, while an eight-unit building completed in 2020 at 2034 N. Avondale Ave. in the Bucktown neighborhood traded for $4.9 million. Brad Feldman of Interra represented the seller, a private local developer, in both transactions. Michael Duckler of Interra represented the confidential buyer of 5069 N. Northwest Highway. The private buyer of 2034 N. Avondale Ave. acquired the property as part of a 1031 exchange and assumed the seller’s debt on the asset. Both properties were fully occupied at the time of sale.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILL. — Entre Commercial Realty has brokered the sale of a 42,780-square-foot industrial facility at 2375 Estes Ave. in Elk Grove Village within the O’Hare submarket. The freestanding property features three docks, two drive-in doors, heavy power, a clear height of 22 feet and ample car parking. The buyer, Excel Restoration, will use the building as its headquarters. Cory Kay, Mike DeSerto and Elisabeth Lazzara of Entre represented the undisclosed seller, while colleague Kevin Kaplan represented the buyer.
ROSEMONT, ILL. — The Nicholas Family of Cos. has opened Rosemont Ice Arena, a new $34.5 million indoor ice arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. The twin-sheet arena totals 103,000 square feet. Located steps away from Allstate Arena, Rosemont Ice Arena offers ice time for youth hockey groups and figure skating, evening ice time for adult hockey leagues and exclusive daytime use by the Chicago Wolves professional hockey team for their practices ahead of home games at Allstate Arena. The project includes new practice facilities for the Chicago Wolves equipped with a dedicated sauna, steam room, cold plunge, film room and team lounge. Constructed by Nicholas & Associates and designed by ARCON Associates Inc., the new arena features a food and coffee area called Market by Hatty’s, a sports bar and supper club concept named Hatty’s Club, a lounge area and a physical therapy clinic. The Nicholas Family’s Spectate Group will operate the arena. Spectate Group will pay the Village of Rosemont an annual licensing fee to operate and manage the year-round facility.
WOOD DALE, ILL. — Tolead Logistics USA Inc. has signed a long-term lease for 160,000 square feet of industrial space at 640 N. Central Ave. in the Chicago suburb of Wood Dale. The tenant provides fashion, electronics and e-commerce logistics solutions. The building features a clear height of 32 feet, 38 exterior docks and two drive-in doors. Ryan Mullins and Frank Damato of Core Industrial Realty represented the tenant, while Kevin Segerson and Genna Ohrn of CBRE represented the undisclosed landlord.
BENSENVILLE, ILL. — Lee & Associates of Illinois has negotiated a new long-term lease for a 187,460-square-foot industrial building in the Chicago suburb of Bensenville. The property is located at 222 Sievert Court. Jeff Janda and John Cassidy of Lee & Associates represented the owner, DRA Advisors. Mark Baumhart of NAI Hiffman represented the tenant, TAFCO Corp., a manufacturer of windows, doors and related products. The transaction represents the third quarter’s second-largest lease in the O’Hare market, according to Lee & Associates.
CHICAGO — Greenstone Partners has brokered the $2.7 million sale of a three-tenant retail property located at 1044-1048 W. Fulton Market in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. Danny Spitz of Greenstone represented the seller. The asset sold to an East Coast-based private partnership. The retail condominium property features a weighted average lease term of eight years. The sales price was 96 percent of the list price.
By Marc Hale, DarwinPW Realty/CORFAC International The Chicagoland industrial market continues to stand out as one of the most important in the country. Its location at the center of the U.S. transportation network gives companies the ability to reach nearly one-third of the nation’s population within a single day’s drive. Six Class I railroads, an abundance of intermodal facilities and seven major interstate highways all converge here, making it one of the most efficient distribution platforms in North America. Chicago O’Hare International Airport also ranks among the top cargo airports in the world, adding critical global connectivity. These advantages are reinforced by a large and diverse labor pool, which has long supported the region’s position as a major hub for manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers. The area’s role as a manufacturing hub is further reinforced by its proximity to major steel mills and primary metal production facilities, the depth of its skilled workforce and plentiful access to water from Lake Michigan, which has long supported heavy industry and advanced manufacturing across the region. The market’s vacancy rate has been trending higher, moving from 5.2 percent in the third quarter of 2024 to 5.9 percent in the third quarter of 2025. …
CHICAGO — Kiser Group has brokered two multifamily sales in Chicago for a total of $31.5 million. The first transaction, brokered by Lee Kiser, Aaron Sklar and Noah Birk, involved a portfolio of three multifamily properties in Hyde Park: Campus Court Apartments (58 units), The Victorian (64 units) and Woodlawn House (85 units). At closing, the portfolio was more than 95 percent occupied. The second transaction, brokered by Lee Kiser, Andy Friedman and Jake Parker, was the sale of The Annabelle, a property in the Lakeview neighborhood with an occupancy of 93.6 percent. The asset sold for $7.8 million. The value-add property is located within walking distance of Wrigley Field.