669 North Michigan Avenue

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Project description: Now home to Nike Chicago, 669 North Michigan Ave is located in the heart of Chicago's Magnificent mile. Formerly home to Saks Fifth Avenue,  this iconic building was sitting vacant awaiting demolition by its then-owner.  The intent was to tear it down and build a high rise apartment tower. Shortly after its reacquisition in 1991, the building was rehabilitated and converted into the street-level home of retailers Cole Haan, Sony, and Nike Chicago.

Upon completion and re-tenanting, it became one of the most visited tourist attractions in Chicago. This building is widely heralded as one of the first redevelopments to show that street-level urban buildings could be converted to single retail uses. It also proved that such conversions could create acceptable economic returns to developers and investors. As a part of the redevelopment, a very historic part of Michigan Avenue was also saved. The rear portion of the building is home to Malabry Court, a collection of five small townhomes that date back to the late 19th century.

Services: Architecture