CHICAGO—The Chicago Blackhawks plans to more than double the team's 333 N. Michigan Ave. retail space, and transform it into a two-floor flagship store by fall 2014. But Don Vitek, the newly-hired senior vice president of Wirtz Realty tells GlobeSt.com that it's just the most visible part of a more comprehensive project.
“We're in the midst of a $48 million renovation of the entire building,” he says. In addition to the Blackhawks expansion, the company is also renovating the exterior façade, bringing in four floors of retail and updating the common areas, office spaces and amenities.
Wirtz also plans to restore the historic main entrance of the 362,210-square-foot building, originally designed in 1928 by Holabird and Root. A 1960s-era renovation had ruined the entrance's distinctive art deco character, Vitek adds, and Wirtz will use modern materials to reconstruct it.
“We're going to have the most modern, up-to-date amenities for both office and retail tenants that want to be in a building with historic appeal,” he says. “It's a complete rehabilitation.”
“We would hope that most of our current office tenants will want to stay,” he adds. “But over time, we will open up our renovated property to a broader group, but I don't think that will necessarily cause a lot of turnover.”
The Blackhawks project was conceived by Chicago-based Chipman Design Architecture and will increase the store's footprint to about 3,000-square-feet.
"We envision the Blackhawks Store will become a must-visit destination for locals, tourists and fans alike," says Blackhawks president and chief executive officer John McDonough.
The four levels of new retail space will include a mix of luxury retailers and restaurants. This retail component will include “signage and have a certain visual appeal, but it will be integrated with the rest of the building's look,” says Vitek. “Our role is to make sure we bring in retailers that will preserve its elegance.”
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
