OAK BROOK, ILL. — Skender has completed the transformation of the former McDonald’s corporate campus in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook into the new headquarters for Ace Hardware. The 250,000-square-foot development is located at 2915 Jorie Blvd. Ace’s new headquarters consists of open workstations, 150 conference rooms, 12 café/pantry spaces and a variety of collaboration areas and amenities. Originally built in the 1970s and designed by Dirk Lohan, grandson of famed architect Mies van der Rohe, the former McDonald’s campus consists of three buildings across more than 80 acres. The campus has sat empty since 2019 when the fast food giant moved its headquarters to downtown Chicago.
The renovation repurposed many of the main building’s original architectural elements, including a large atrium in the center. The first floor of the parking garage is now an amenity suite that includes a fitness center, conference center, multipurpose room and large cafeteria with commercial kitchen. The project team included CBRE Design Collective as architect and ESD, now named Stantec Consulting Services, as engineer.