Medinah Temple’s next act: retail, dining, shows
Following decades as home to events such as the Shrine Circus, and more recently as a sprawling furniture store, the 109-year-old Medinah Temple is ready for a new act with nods to its theatrical and retail past.
Building owner Friedman Properties is teaming up with Blue Star Properties to bring a retail, food and entertainment experience to the city landmark this fall. Also involved is hospitality group 16”on Center, a sister company to Blue Star.
Holocene Chicago, as it is called, will bring a rotating mix of shops, food, drinks and events to the three-level building at 600 N. Wabash Ave. that most recently was a Bloomingdale’s home furnishings store.
It is planned as a one-year pop-up using the entire 135,000-square-foot former Bloomingdale’s space, and there’s a possibility it will remain longterm, according to Craig Golden, president of Blue Star and a partner at 16”on Center.
“This is about creating something that is more experiential
and fun; it’s about getting out and socializing,” Golden said in an email. “We’re pushing this idea out to see how it goes. This is a really great testing ground for something that’s temporary, but it can give us a good feel for what Chicagoans are most excited about.”
Shops are expected to be from brands that mostly sell products online and want to showcase their goods in a different setting. Principals in the project said they’re in talks with retailers and strategic partners.
People will be able to eat foods from a demo kitchen, sip artisan coffee and cocktails and take part in activities such as fitness and cooking classes and virtual reality experiences. Events could include everything from live music to talks with authors.
The plan comes more than a year into a COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated retail, hospitality and live entertainment.
“It’s honestly a perfect time to just have some fun and try something different,” Golden said. “A lot of people are using this opportunity to head back to the drawing board and try new things in new ways. Combining different avenues of culture — whether music, food, design, drinks — has always been what we do at our company.”
Blue Star Properties and 16”on Center, which is led by Bruce Finkelman, are known for music venues and restaurants such as the Thalia Hall, Empty Bottle, Moneygun and the Promontory. The new concept will have similarities to their Revival Food Hall in the Loop, since Holocene’s retailers will rotate periodically.
Others involved in the project include chief curator Susan Sandler, a retail pop-up expert, and creative director David Korins, whose clients have included the Academy Awards, the Broadway hit “Hamilton” and musicians such as Lady Gaga, Elton John and Kanye West.
Holocene is part of Friedman Properties’ second
redevelopment of the building.
The real estate firm is led by Al Friedman, often called the “mayor of River North” because he’s assembled a large portfolio of buildings north of the Chicago River over the course of decades.
Friedman first redeveloped Medinah Temple into a Bloomingdale’s home furnishings store that opened in 2003, about two years after the then-vacant Moorish Revival building was designated a Chicago landmark as it faced demolition.
The city-backed plan led to the restoration of the entire block bounded by Wabash Avenue and Ohio, Ontario and State streets, which included the Tree Studios artists’ enclave. The $60 million-plus redevelopment included more than $12 million in tax-increment financing from the city. As part of the deal, Bloomingdale’s became the owner of the retail space while Friedman kept ownership of the land beneath it.
At the time, Friedman built a pair of five-ton copper onion domes to replace the damaged originals. The developer also made extensive renovations to stained glass windows, and a 4,200-seat auditorium where events such as the Shrine Circus were once held was converted to retail space.
Friedman decided to take on a second redevelopment after Bloomingdale’s parent Macy’s put the building up for sale. Friedman paid $24.25 million for it in June 2019, according to Cook County property records.
Blue Star and 16”on Center are involved in two other ongoing projects in well-known Chicago buildings that will mesh live events, food and drinks.
One will bring events to the lobby and outdoor spaces at The Old Post Office, including on the redeveloped office building’s sprawling rooftop deck. The other will bring music and other events to the former Morton Salt warehouse along the Chicago River on the city’s North Side.