Illinois

CHICAGO — Orangetheory Fitness has leased 4,000 square feet on the second floor of 155 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. Larry Kling of Newmark Knight Frank represented the fitness franchise in the lease transaction. Orangetheory offers workouts based on high-intensity interval training that blend cardiovascular and strength training. The company has more than 1,200 locations worldwide. The Michigan Avenue location will be the company’s 17th in Chicago and 58th in the state of Illinois. Set to open in January, the build-out will feature an open space with additional workspaces and larger bathrooms and shower facilities than traditional Orangetheory floor plans.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY — Blackstone Real Estate Partners IX, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), is acquiring a 65 percent controlling interest in Great Wolf Resorts Inc. Although the specific price of the investment was not disclosed, Blackstone and existing owner Centerbridge Partners LP will form a new $2.9 billion joint venture to own the company. Chicago-based based Great Wolf is an owner and operator of family-oriented entertainment resorts, with 18 locations around the country. Each lodge contains a full-service hotel, indoor waterpark, recreational activities and various food and beverage offerings. A new resort in Northern California is slated to open next year. “Great Wolf has enriched the guest experience and opened seven new lodges since 2015,” says Tyler Henritze, head of U.S. acquisitions for Blackstone. “We look forward to investing in these properties to further deliver for guests and grow the company.” Murray Hennessy, CEO of Great Wolf, says that the company stands to benefit greatly from Blackstone’s insights and expertise in hospitality. The sale comes at a time when theme park companies are benefitting from higher consumer spending on travel and leisure, according to Bloomberg. Blackstone has previously invested in SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. and helped buy …

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO — Summit Design + Build has begun the redevelopment of 1900 W. Lawrence Ave. in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. The building was formerly home to a Sears department store, which opened in 1925 and was shuttered in 2016. The adaptive reuse project involves the conversion of the commercial building into residential space, including 59 apartment units ranging from one- to three-bedroom floor plans. The 105,000-square-foot, three-story building spans the length of an entire city block along Lawrence Avenue. Summit plans to add a fourth floor as well as two elevators and three staircases. Since the building does not have many windows, extensive work will be required to create new openings for the apartments. The project will also feature 30,000 square feet of retail space, of which DeVry University will occupy approximately 15,000 square feet. The third Chicago campus for the university will include 11 classrooms, technology labs, interview rooms, staff offices and an auxiliary lounge. Newmark Knight Frank represented DeVry in its lease. CA Ventures and Springbank Capital Advisors are the developers. Gillespie Design Group is the project architect. Completion is slated for fall 2020.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO — NewMark Merrill Cos. Inc. has acquired Stony Island Plaza in Chicago for $17.3 million. The 159,785-square-foot shopping center is located in the South Deering neighborhood at the intersection of 95th Street and Stony Island Avenue. Jewel-Osco and DD’s Discounts anchor the center, built in 1999. It is currently 93 percent leased to several local and national brands, including Circle K, KFC, H&R Block, Foot Locker, GNC, Happy Nails and Seashell Restaurant. NewMark Merrill plans to improve signage, parking areas and landscaping. Rick Drogosz of Mid-America Real Estate Corp. represented the institutional seller. Sandy Sigal and Jim Patton of NewMark Merrill negotiated the purchase on behalf of NewMark Merrill. Kostas Kavayiotidis of Pacific Southwest Realty arranged acquisition financing with John Hancock Life Insurance. Jeffery Packard, Tom Treacy and Chris Bingham of John Hancock originated the financing.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

NORTH AURORA, ILL. — JVM Realty Corp. has purchased Randall Highlands in North Aurora for an undisclosed price. JVM Management Inc. will manage the community. Built in 2013, the property is comprised of 146 rental townhome units. Amenities include a pool, clubhouse, business center, playground and fitness center. The seller was not disclosed. JVM owns and operates three other rental communities in the Chicago metro area and is set to close on the acquisition of a fifth property in the market later this year.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN AND MISSOURI — Metro Commercial Real Estate has brokered several leases on behalf of The Edge Fitness Clubs for new locations across the Midwest. The properties include: Windmill Plaza in in Sterling Heights, Mich.; West River Centre in Farmington Hills, Mich.; an unnamed center at Avon and Rochester roads in Westland, Mich.; Cave Springs in St. Peters, Mo.; Mackenzie Point in Shrewsbury, Mo.; and Westridge Court in Naperville, Ill. There are also three new locations in Pennsylvania. The fitness centers are all expected to open later this year or in 2020. Brandon Anapol and Scott Benson of Metro led the leasing team. With these new leases, Metro has brokered 16 locations totaling approximately 640,000 square feet for Connecticut-based Edge over the last 12 months. Edge currently operates 25 locations across Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

WOOD DALE, ILL. — Premier Design + Build Group has broken ground on a two-building industrial development in Wood Dale. Bridge Development Partners is the developer and the facility will be known as Bridge Point Wood Dale. The first building will serve as a 100,738-square-foot build-to-suit for Forward Space LLC, a provider of office furniture and workplace solutions. The second building will be a 241,888-square-foot speculative warehouse. Completion of both buildings is slated for spring 2020. Cornerstone Architects Ltd., Swift Structural Design LLC and Manhard Consulting make up the project team.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO — JLL has secured a $9.4 million loan for the refinancing of The Armoury, a 46,040-square-foot industrial facility repurposed as an entertainment trampoline park and athletic training facility in Chicago. The property is fully leased to Altitude Trampoline Park and Performance Training Systems. Christopher Carroll, Jason Bond and Lucas Borges of JLL arranged the fixed-rate loan with a financial holding company. A partnership between Clear Height Properties and Diamond Realty Holdings was the borrower.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO — Quantum Real Estate Advisors Inc. has brokered the sale of a single-tenant building net leased to Studio Movie Grill in Chicago for an undisclosed price. The property is located at 210 W. 87th St. Studio Movie Grill has 14 screens as well as a full bar and restaurant. Chad Firsel of Quantum represented the seller, a Chicago-based development company, and the buyer, a Michigan-based private real estate investor.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail

CHICAGO — Hyatt Hotels Corp. has launched a new brand within the select-service category called Caption. The brand is designed with communal spaces in mind. Union Square Hospitality Group consulted on the design of a food and beverage concept, which will include a café, market and bar. Guest rooms will average around 270 square feet. “We intend for the Caption by Hyatt brand to be a global growth driver domestically and internationally in dense urban markets, emerging neighborhoods and high foot-traffic areas,” says Jim Chu, global head of development for Hyatt.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail