CHICAGO — Friedman Properties has completed the first phase of renovations at the Reid Murdoch Building in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The improvements included renovations to the lobby, corridors, restrooms and elevator cabs, as well as a new fully furnished, riverfront speculative office suite.
Friedman acquired the eight-story, 320,000-square-foot building in 1998 and completed initial redevelopment in 2002. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
The Reid Murdoch Building was originally constructed in 1914 as office, warehouse and manufacturing facilities for Reid, Murdoch & Co., one of the country’s largest wholesale grocers. The city purchased the property in 1955 to house traffic courts and other municipal offices, a use it retained until Friedman’s acquisition.
Designed by George Nimmons, the building is a notable example of the “Chicago School” of architecture, with a red brick façade and decorative terra-cotta embellishments covering a steel-and-concrete skeleton. In 1926, the property’s symmetry was adjusted to accommodate the widening of LaSalle Street, reducing the side of the building west of the central tower to five window bays, while the east side retained its original six.
The lobby now features a mix of exposed ceilings and concrete columns that pay homage to the building’s historic character, brickwork that mimics the look and feel of the exterior façade and installation of terrazzo floors. A hand-painted mural depicts Reid Murdoch Co.’s Monarch Foods logo, a nod to the building’s past.
Located on the third floor, the spec suite spans 5,388 square feet with a lounge and collaboration space, two conference rooms, three private offices, 29 flexible workstations and a kitchen.
The second phase of renovations now underway includes a new amenity suite with a fitness center and tenant lounge. Completion of the second phase is slated for April.
Notable tenants at the building include Whirlpool Corp., Encyclopedia Britannica, Walton Isaacson and Priority Sports. Last month, Friedman announced that the building’s first-floor retail space will house “Theater of the Mind,” an immersive theatrical experience scheduled to launch this fall as part of Goodman Theatre’s centennial 2025/2026 season. Musician and artist David Byrne, best known as the frontman of the band Talking Heads, co-created the permanent installation.