Blackhawks shoot for $65M practice facility expansion

In a face off with Rush University Medical Center, the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks came away with a $24 million land deal.

The team struck an agreement with Rush University Medical Center to buy Near West Side property that will allow it to start a $65 million, 135,000-square-square expansion of its practice facilities, Crain’s reported. The new building will stand on a seven-acre site at 303 S. Damen Ave. next to the Blackhawks’ Fifth Third Arena.

The team will pay $23.5 million to acquire the property, and the expanded facility, which is set to include two additional ice rinks, will double the Blackhawk’s current practice venue footprint. It will also serve as a premium setting for youth hockey teams, as the sport’s popularity has taken off since the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cup Finals from 2010 to 2015.

Rush University and the Blackhawks co-purchased the land occupied by the two entities in 2015 from the former Malcolm X College. However, Rush decided the site was “no longer part of its strategic vision.” The squad is reimbursing Rush the $17.5 million they paid for the property, while donating an extra $6 million towards the Sankofa Wellness Village project, a redevelopment plan Rush is a partner in that aims to revitalize West Garfield Park.

Chicago City Council still has to sign off on the redevelopment plan, because it switches up a previously approved project that included expansions of both Rush and Blackhawks facilities. The new plan, submitted to the council this week for consideration, also requires city zoning approval.

Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said the organization plans on continuing to invest in the communities surrounding the United Center — the team’s game venue shared with the Chicago Bulls. A business group with ties to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf last year spent $5.5 million to buy land that could be developed into multifamily housing or retail — a combination of both — within two blocks of the United Center.

All of the players affiliated with the Blackhawks deal, including The Pritzker Traubert Foundation, who’s at the helm of the Sankofa Wellness Village project, expressed commitment to aiding the West Side communities, as it’s faced economic stagnancy and poor health for a prolonged period.

— Quinn Donoghue