Built in 1914 by Daniel Burnham for use as warehouse and office space for a wholesale grocer, Reid-Murdoch Center served as the city's traffic court until 1998, when Friedman Properties bought the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, from the city the following year. The redevelopment included new lobby, common areas, elevators, plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. In addition to other new tenants as Encyclopedia Britannica, the building attracted Bob Chinn's restaurant.

Grubb & Ellis Co. senior vice presidents Tom Volini and Sven Sykes represented the scrap-metal recycler, now headquartered at 500 N. Dearborn St. in negotiations with Friedman Properties. The company has operations in 13 states, but has seven processing centers in the city as well as Bedford Park, Joliet and Kankakee. A September move is planned.