SOUTH HOLLAND, ILL. — Avison Young brokered the sale of a 149,000-square-foot industrial facility at 410-470 W. 169th St. in South Holland, a Chicago suburb. The multi-tenant building is partially leased to Armacell, a company that manufactures flexible insulation foams for the equipment insulation market. Keith Puritz and Brett Kroner of Avison Young’s Chicago office represented the seller, a private investor. Mike Mangan of Savills Studley represented the buyer, Rosemont, Ill.-based Venture One Real Estate LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
CHICAGO — Co-developers Ryan Cos. US Inc. and Lincoln Property Co. have unveiled plans for a luxury apartment tower in Chicago’s downtown Gold Coast residential market. The 31-story, 373-unit tower, known as 833 North Clark Street Apartments, will be constructed at the southeast corner of Clark and Chestnut streets on a 41,000-square-foot site that was purchased from U.S. Bank. A groundbreaking ceremony took place Friday, July 24, days after the development team purchased the land parcel and closed on an $88 million construction loan from U.S. Bank. 833 North Clark Street is within walking distance of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the downtown CBD, the Northwestern and Loyola University graduate school campuses, and the Northwestern medical center. The luxury high-rise is set to open in early 2017.
OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL. — Newmark Grubb Knight Frank has been selected as the leasing agent for 1 Tower Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, the tallest building in the state outside of downtown Chicago. Oakbrook Terrace Tower is a Class A, 792,192-square-foot office building located in the western suburbs of Chicago. Built in 1987, the 31-story property features expansive views of the western suburbs and downtown Chicago, a fitness center, conference center, food service, on-site management, on-site security and an executive underground garage. The property also offers easy access to O’Hare airport. John Clark, Rob Lundin and John Norris of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank will lead the brokerage team.
CHICAGO — Essex Reality Group has brokered the sale of 1725-1733 S. Ruble St. in Chicago to an undisclosed buyer. The purchase price was $925,000. The property consists of two newly constructed walk-up apartment buildings adjacent to one another that contain a total of four luxury duplex apartments, four garage parking spaces and 3,572 square feet of developable land. The property is situated in close proximity to the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Halsted Street Metra Station, as well as I-90/I-94. Jason Fishleder of Essex Reality Group’s Chicago office was the broker for the transaction. Essex Realty Group, Inc. specializes in the sale of investment real estate throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
CHICAGO — MB Real Estate (MBRE) has won the assignment to manage and lease the Illinois Tollway Oases, six properties servicing commuters and travelers along the Illinois Tollway system. The tollway oases offer patrons a variety of convenient food options, a wide range of services and are directly accessible from the tollway with on-off ramps. Properties include the Belvidere Oasis along I-90; the Lake Forest Oasis on I-94; the DeKalb Oasis on I-88; the Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis along I-80/I-294; the Hinsdale Oasis on I-294; and the O’Hare Oasis, also on I-294. Current tenants of the oases include the Illinois Tollway, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Best Buy Express, Subway, Illinois Lottery and Sbarro, among others. Kathleen Bertrand of MBRE will serve as the leasing representative for the six properties, which offer a variety of spaces available for lease.
BRADLEY, ILL. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has brokered the sale of Village Square Shopping Center in Bradley, 57 miles south of Chicago. A private California-based buyer purchased the 85,002-square-foot center for an undisclosed price. Village Square Shopping Center is located at the northwest corner of Illinois Route 50 and East North St. The retail center is leased to a diverse mix of both national and local retailers, including Jo-Ann Fabrics, Dollar Tree, Premier Rental, Advance America and Carquest. Carly Gallagher and Ben Wineman of Mid-America Real Estate brokered the transaction on behalf of the seller.
CHICAGO — Geller Investment Co. has closed on its acquisition of the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel on Chicago’s Gold Coast. Sam Zell’s Zell Equity Group Investments completed the sale, but will maintain a minority stake in Waldorf. The 189-room hotel at 11 E. Walton St. sold for a record-breaking $111.9 million, according to a Cook County transfer tax form. The purchase equals just over $592,000 per room, well above the previously held record of $505,000 per room paid by Zell for the Elysian hotel. Geller plans to add 26 hotel rooms in the 60-story tower, which also features 52 private residences. The new owners also plan changes to the hotel’s food, drink and public areas.
RIVERWOODS, ILL. — Milton Podolsky, founder of Podolsky|Circle CORFAC International, passed away this past weekend at the age of 94. Born in 1921, Podolsky attended DePaul University and studied at John Marshall Law School before serving in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. He first considered a career in commercial real estate in 1957 when a frequent customer of his family’s drug store encouraged him to do so. Over the next five years, he worked at two commercial real estate firms in the Chicago market doing primarily industrial brokerage. Then he began developing and managing buildings in what later became known as the O’Hare market. In 1962, Podolsky co-founded his first entrepreneurial firm. In 1971, he established Podolsky and Associates Ltd., which evolved into the company now known as Podolsky|Circle CORFAC International based in Riverwoods. His accomplishments include the development of seven industrial parks and myriad individual industrial and office buildings, as well as Westbrook Corporate Center, a 1.1 million-square-foot office complex in Westchester, Ill. He is survived by his wife, Lois; his brother, Jerry; his three children, Steven, Bonnie and Randy; and seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
CHICAGO — Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc. has signed Kraft Heinz Co. to a 170,000-square-foot lease at Aon Center, located at 200 E. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago. The new lease at the trophy tower extends through 2029. After recently completing the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Co., the global food and beverage giant will relocate its Chicago headquarters from Northfield, Ill., to five floors of the 83-story building. The company will be co-headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa. Ned Franke and Steve Holmberg of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant in the transaction. Steve Smith and Mark Georgas of JLL, along with Tom Prescott and Alex Valente of Piedmont, facilitated negotiations on behalf of the owner.
EVANSTON, ILL. — Baum Realty Group LLC brokered the sale of a multi-tenant retail strip center in Evanston for $2.3 million. The site is located at 3330 Central St. in Evanston, 14 miles north of Chicago. The 3,235-square-foot strip center is divided into three suites and was 100 percent occupied at the time of the purchase. Several tenants include Starbucks, Subway and Kenny the Kleeners. A private out-of-state investor purchased the property. Greg Dietz and Danny Spietz of Baum Realty represented the private seller.