WICKER PARK — A vintage building at the southwest corner of Damen and Pierce — on a bustling stretch in Wicker Park that is across from Big Star — has been bought for $5.1 million, officials said Thursday.
The building at 1530-1532 N. Damen Ave. was sold to River North-based Northpond Partners, which is planning to preserve the two-story, 14,000 square-foot property and bring in a retail or commercial tenant or a restaurant, according to Northpond’s Sam Ankin. It had been home to a day care, which will close soon.
“We are excited that we are not demolishing the building and we are also excited to announce plans after the first of the year. There will be some modifications to the building but the majority of the structure will remain,” Ankin said.
Ankin said that the location of the building, just north of the CTA Blue Line station at 1558 N. Damen Ave., was a big draw, as well as “activity on Damen and in Bucktown and Wicker Park in general.”
Currently, there are no rehab plans or tenants to announce, but Ankin said that there will definitely not be apartments or condos at the site.
“We are not residential developers. Our intent is to make it more retail friendly,” Ankin said.
See Original Article here: DNAInfo
