Waiting for construction to start can be like watching water boil. With word that the transformation of ye olde Esquire Theater into a retail complex was underway, Curbed zipped over to the Gold Coast to snap some shots. We were lucky enough (or brazen, if you will) to get some peaks at the dilapidated interior as it gets stripped away. The old building is so enchanted, it makes you wish you had made memories there (here's an old photo of the lobby). The new conception put forward by owners 58 E. Oak LLC and Ald. Brendan Reilly, is a heap of new and old materials, pinned down by the vertical Esquire Marquee. The illusion of a varied streetwall will be somewhat maintained, and continuity will return to the swanky block. The plan sports seven retail spaces and is slated for completion by Christmas 2012.
· Esquire Theater To Be Converted To Retail Complex [Curbed Chicago]
· Hedrich Blessing Interiors at ArchiTech [ArchitectureChicago PLUS]
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