North Pier (Chicago)
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Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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Coordinates | 41°53′26.8″N 87°36′58.7″W / 41.890778°N 87.616306°WCoordinates: 41°53′26.8″N 87°36′58.7″W / 41.890778°N 87.616306°W |
Address | 435 E. Illinois St., Chicago, IL 60611 |
Opening date | 1990 |
Closing date | 2013 |
Developer | Broadacre Management |
Architect | Christian Eckstorm (Pugh Terminal), Booth Hansen (North Pier), FitzGerald Associates Architects (Lofts at River East) |
Total retail floor area | 200,000 sq ft (18,581 m2) |
No. of floors | 3 |
North Pier was a retail and office complex located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The timber loft building, which lines the north side of , was originally named Pugh Terminal and used as a wholesale exhibition center predating the Merchandise Mart.[1]
It was redeveloped into commercial uses as part of , a 1985 master plan for 50 acres of what were industrial and port facilities in south Streeterville.[2] The renovation was proposed in 1987 by Robert Meers, who envisioned it was "not a festival market, but a specialized retailing center," complementary to Navy Pier or the Magnificent Mile, a few blocks east or west. Other developers proposed apartments within the building instead.[3]
When completed in 1990, North Pier featured three levels of retailers on the lower levels, centered on a rotunda, and four floors of offices above. Waterfront restaurants lined Ogden Slip south of the building on the building's lowest level, while the primary entrance from Illinois Street led up a few stairs to the second level of the mall. The adjacent North Pier Apartments tower was also completed in 1990.
Occupancy was never strong: the mall lacked strong anchor tenants, the adapted industrial facade along Illinois Street lacked clear entrances and views inside, and the half-built-out surroundings[4] dissuaded foot traffic. "The property never lived up to expectations," as a local business newspaper wrote, even after it was renamed River East Plaza in 1997 and marketed to artists and art galleries. In 2013, it was purchased out of bankruptcy court[5] by a developer who subsequently converted the building into the Lofts at River East apartments and closed the interior mall.
Two floors of exterior-facing retail remain: an upper level facing Illinois Street and a lower level facing Ogden Slip. As of 2015, anchor tenants include a Target Express and a Pinstripes bowling alley.[6]
References[]
- ^ Sinkevitch, Alice (2004). AIA Guide to Chicago (2nd ed.). New York: Harcourt. p. 121. ISBN 0156029081.
- ^ Grossman, James R. (et al, eds.) (2004). The Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago. p. 562.
- ^ Kerch, Steve (January 18, 1987). "Renovator Charts New Course For Old North Pier Terminal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Wangensteen, Betsy (March 9, 1996). "Mutiny on Chicago Dock; Investors Hit Cityfront Parent". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Gallun, Alby (March 20, 2013). "Apartments planned at Streeterville's former North Pier Terminal". Chicago Real Estate Daily. Crain Communications. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Zekas, Joe (September 7, 2014). "The Lofts at River East". Yo Chicago. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- Shopping malls established in 1990
- 1990 establishments in Illinois
- 2013 disestablishments in Illinois
- Shopping malls in Chicago
- Defunct shopping malls in the United States