CHICAGO — Chicago-based investment and development firm Friedman Properties has completed an 80,000-square-foot office lease renewal and expansion with Bartlit Beck LLP at Court House Place in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The lease increased the law firm’s footprint by more than 20 percent. Headquartered at Court House Place since 1993, Bartlit Beck is a national law firm with expertise in high-stakes commercial litigation, intellectual property, antitrust and unfair trade practices, breach of contract, shareholder disputes and product liability. Renovations will begin soon on the additional 15,000 square feet.
Designed by architect Otto Matz and constructed in 1893, the Romanesque-style Court House Place formerly served as the Cook County criminal court. After acquiring the seven-story, 107,000-square-foot property in 1985, Friedman Properties executed a full redevelopment, transforming the building into modern office space. A renovation in 2018 added a rooftop deck. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Chicago landmark.