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Chicago Cheat Sheet: Google opens first retail location in city … & more
Also, notorious landlord Lou Wolf has died at 94
Google opens first retail location in Chicago
Google will operate a pop-up store called the “Hardware Store” through the end of this year in Bucktown. The first retail location of its kind in Chicago for the tech giant is a precursor to a reported two-level flagship store it will open in Fulton Market near its Midwest headquarters. [Chicago Tribune]
Lou Wolf, notorious landlord, dead at 94
Notorious landlord Lou Wolf died at 94. The onetime owner of some 2,000 properties also went on to buy the Uptown Theatre. In 1993, he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion, and he was ordered to pay more than $2 million in a related civil racketeering case. [Crain’s]
TCS Education inks 29K sf lease in Downtown office tower
TCS Education System signed a long-term lease for 29,000 square feet at 203 North LaSalle Street. The education nonprofit moved into a space occupying half of the 19th floor of the building after 10 years at 350 North Orleans Street. [REJournals]
Sears was also once a homebuilder
Between 1908 and 1940, Chicago-based Sears, Roebuck & Co. sold between 70,000 and 75,000 homes, all delivered to customers as kits selected from the firm’s Modern Homes catalogs. The firm offered 400 different styles, which were sent via train car and set up across the country, including Florida, California, and even Alaska. [Curbed]
Stonestreet approved for Winnetka project 5 years after proposing it
Stonestreet Partners finally won the Winnetka Village Board’s approval to build high-end condos, townhouses and rentals at Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue. Proposed five years ago, the One Winnetka project had to go through revisions before finally winning approval. [Crain’s]
And here’s something else about Sears…
Even if Sears Holdings’ bankruptcy ends with the retailer being liquidated, its impact on Chicago real estate will not just disappear. It is connected to some of the city’s most notable buildings — and not just the since-renamed Willis Tower. Other properties related to Sears are around today, many redeveloped for other uses. [Chicago Tribune]