Developers are hoping The Fields, part of a 22-acre former Marshall Fields warehouse complex near Diversey and Pulaski, can become an industrial reuse success story, much like another northwest side project, the Green Exchange (once the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company). In a Tribune interview, Aaron Paris and Paul Fishbein, developers with Merit Partners, discussed their plans for the $60 million project, which will be designed by Hirsch Associates. They envision a mixed-use development offering live-work space to startups and tech companies, with part of the pitch being that it'll be cheaper to rent one space instead of both an office and apartment. The location is also being marketed as a big draw, with access to nearby train lines and a 700-car indoor garage easing the commute from downtown or nearby northwest side suburbs.
So far, The Fields has signed up the Studio41 home design showroom, a 70,000-square-foot Cermak Fresh Market and Deal Genius as tenants. The masterplan for the complex breaks down the space into 500,000 square feet of warehouse/industrial, 300,000 square feet of office, 100,000 square feet of commercial and 150,000 square feet of live-work space, broken up into 84 units, according to Fishbein. Each of these units, running from 800 to 3,000 square feet, will have a loft-like layout. The Fields will be the first project in the city to have this designation on the upper floor of a building. It's also going to be quite a bright interior, with ceiling heights running from 14 to 20 feet in some places.
The green roof is also going to be a big selling point; according to Katie Tiernan, Marketing Manager at Cushman & Wakefield, who is leasing the commercial space, it will be built-to-suit once they have more tenants, but likely be around 75,000 square feet and include a dog run. Hard construction is set to begin this spring, the Cermak Fresh Market has an October opening date, and the live-work spaces should be ready by next spring.
·Former Marshall Field's warehouse gets new life [Tribune]
·CAF Talk Covers Industrial Reuse and Future of Fulton Market [Chicago Curbed]
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