30 Things You Don't Know About Block37

Yesterday there was a meeting to update the public about the status of Block37.

The people from Joseph Freed and Associates did the presentation, and while they made every effort to be forthcoming, there were certain things they refused to talk about.*

Much has been written in the news about the project's legal and financial situation, and to date we've entirely avoided even mentioning those things in this blog because, quite frankly, they're boring and we don't care.  Open or closed is all we (and the wider public) care about.  We don't want to get bogged down in the minutiae of who appointed what receiver that can't get insurance for blah blah blah blah.  Open or closed.  That's all we want to know.

In our many explorations of the retail complex, we've come to certain conclusions:

• The exterior facade is not great, though it's our understanding that by the time Joseph Freed and Associates gained control of the project it was too late to make any changes.
• The multiple-level LED screens are pretty cool, especially when there are sharks swimming in them (See our CrappyCameraPhone™ video).
• Block37 has some of the cleanest public restrooms on State Street.
• Beard Papa's creampuffs are OK.  They're a little bland, but some people consider that a virtue.  It's also in keeping with its homeland's fondness for the appreciation of subtle flavors.
• WBBM-TV really screwed the public, and should be ashamed of the way it half-assed the screens above its streetfront studio.

On a different note, a lot was said in the meeting that we knew, but there were a number of new nuggets of information presented.  Here are 30 things about Block37 that you may or may not already know:

1. The first time a proposal was floated to demolish the entire block and start again was back in the 1980's.
2. There was once a plan to open Block 37 as a walkable, low-height suburban-style outdoor mall.
3. The planned hotel and residential towers haven't been cancelled.  They can still be added when the economy improves.
4. The hotel and residential portions of the building must be built at the same time for structural reasons.
5. When the hotel and residential towers are completed, a green roof will be planed on top of the retail podium.
6. The planned green roof will open as a small public park, like the one atop the Pepsico offices in the West Loop.
7. The planned hotel is expected to have 385 room.
8. The planned condo/apartment block is expected to have 400 residences.
9. If you look at the building's columns from the pedway level, you may be able to see that there have been diagonal rows created going southeast to northwest.
10. The diagonally arranged columns were done that way to accommodate future express train service below the building.
11. Block37 already has all of the infrastructure in place for the CTA to open an express train station with high-speed service to Midway and O'Hare airports.
12. The developer of the project was required to bring in a certain amount of stores that were new to the region.
13. The reason that the Anthropologie and Puma stores are both two levels is because ground floor stores were given reduced rents if they went vertical.  The idea is to lure shoppers into going higher in the building to explore the stores on the upper levels.
14. In 2009, seven million people passed beneath Block 37.  Two million going through the CTA Blue Line's Washington Street station, and five million through the CTA Red Line's Lake Street station.
15. Each day, 25,000 people use the CTA stations at Block 37.
16. Block37's southeastern ground floor exit was positioned to deliberately give its users a view of the former Marshall Field's building.
17. Block37's northeastern ground floor exit was positioned to give people a view of the Chicago Theater sign as they leave.
18. Block37's western ground floor exit was positioned to open up on Daley Plaza.
19. These three things were done to provide a sense of cohesion with the rest of the Loop, so that Block37 wouldn't feel like yet another isolated island of commerce.
20. Block37's mission is "A public-private partnership that creates a vibrant and successful mixed use development to strengthen downtown Chicago's reputation as a shop, dine, work, live, and play destination while embracing the community's desire for a central transportation hub."
21. 140,000 people live within two miles of Block37.
22. 65,000 college students go to school near Block37.
23. "108 North State" was not meant to be the building's final name, it was just a placeholder.
24. The name "Block37" was chosen because "108 North State" had the potential to alienate retailers in the building who were not positioned on State Street.
25. The big ugly empty steel spaces that wrap around the corner of Washington and Randolph Streets are where CBS was supposed to put in a huge Times Square-style wraparound video screen.  Instead, it went the cheap route and put in a single square screen, leaving the rest of the structure exposed.
26. Block37 has 280,000 square feet of retail space.
27. Block37 has 1,000 restaurant seats.
28. Block37 has 1,630 live and movie theater seats.
29. Block37 has underground parking for 350 vehicles.
30. Block37 has 440,000 square feet of office space.

* To be perfectly clear here, the Freed people stated that they couldn't talk about certain things for "legal reasons."  While they are very likely acting on the advice of their lawyers not to talk about stuff, there is nothing in the law which actually prohibits them from doing so, which is why we used the phrase above "refused to talk" instead of the more common and journalistically lazy "could not talk."  It is a choice made by people at the company, not an actual restriction imposed by law.  Anytime you see a company say "we cannot comment on pending litigation" or "we cannot speak for legal reasons" it's not that they cannot speak.  It's that their lawyers advise them not to and they choose to follow that advice.  For the time being we still have the right to free speech in the United States.  With this in mind, you'll notice a pattern develop over time -- that companies with strong leadership and policies of public openness will talk to the media; while companies with weak leadership, a culture that stifles employee thought, and a "circle the wagons" mentality will go with "no comment."

Puma Ready to Pounce in The Loop

Block 37/108 North State/Daley Mills doesn't open for another month yet, but already the Puma Store is advertising itself and soliciting resumes for store workers.

State Street Returning to Normal

WLS-TV had the big news Saturday night, but now here's some photographic proof for those of you who don't watch television on the weekend: The Jersey barriers have come down on State Street.

That means that after years of construction, things are finally starting to look normal again as Block 37 / 108 North State Street / Daley Mills construction starts to wind down.

For drivers, it means that another traffic lane will finally return to service.  For pedestrians, it means it's possible to walk from Borders to the Atwood Cafe without crossing four streets.  It also means access to the Red Line station entrance from the south once again.

It took more than 20 years, but Block 37 is finally starting to look like something.  Now all we need is a  real name for the mall.  We will continue to push for "Daley Mills" until someone comes up with something better.

Status Update: Things Coming Together at Block 37

Things are starting to come together at Block 37/108 North State.  After more than two years of disarray, the ground floor of the building is starting to make sense to the casual observer.

Some of the barriers have been lowered so we can get a peek at what's going on.  The near completion of the sidewalks is a good sign that most of what is left to do is cosmetic and interior.  With glass walls marking entrances it's easier to get an idea of what the finished project will look like.  

Of course, it still doesn't have a name other than the industrial "Block 37" or the bland "108 North State."  How about Daley Mills?  Or maybe "Field's."

Five New Stores For 108 North State

Here's the text of a press release from Joseph Freed announcing new stores at Block 37/108 North State:

DEVELOPER ANNOUNCES FIVE MORE SIGNED LEASES FOR BLOCK 37

Famed Chicago Clothier Bigsby & Kruthers among new tenants

CHICAGO - Block 37 master developer Joseph Freed and Associates LLC announced today that five more leases have been signed with retail tenants for Block 37.

Those signed include the famed Chicago clothier Bigsby & Kruthers, Swarovski, Starfruit, Tahini and Sunglass Hut.

"With the signing of these tenants, we have taken another big step toward bringing this project across the goal line," said Larry Freed, President of Joseph Freed and Associates LLC, the project's developer.

"When it opens this fall, Block 37 will be the source of 2,000 jobs and over $17.5 M in annual tax revenue for the City of Chicago. To date, the project has brought over 2,200 construction jobs to Chicago," Freed said.

Ty Tabing, Executive Director of the Chicago Loop Alliance, commented that "we are extremely excited to see this progress on Block 37. The historic significance of bringing the uniquely Chicago Bigsby & Kruthers brand to the project is very important. It is reminiscent of the high quality retailers who originally were located on the site."

He went on to say that he anticipates that "having the Bigsby store on the second floor of the project will be quite effective in driving foot traffic within the project."

Freed reflected that these five tenants contribute to the new, dynamic, cutting-edge tenant mix that has been the goal for the property since Freed purchased the project in 2007.

Also sensitive to the historic significance of the project, Freed said, "Putting a Bigsby & Kruthers store in the heart of downtown Chicago on this historic block is especially appropriate when you consider the strength and longevity of the Bigsby brand in Chicago," he said.

"We will be able to bring together the best and newest in men's and women's fashion, quality service and attention to the needs of our customers with Joe Silverberg and his partner, Jack Shniderman re-launching the Bigsby & Kruthers brand," Freed continued.

Silverberg opened his first Bigsby & Kruthers store with his brother, Gene Silverberg, in Chicago in 1970. For years, they dressed the nation's CEO's, celebrities and professional athletes at their Bigsby & Kruthers stores. The company received national and international attention and awards including a listing in Esquire Magazine as one of the top ten specialty

retailers in the United States and was featured in Esquire, Forbes, GQ and the Wall Street Journal.

Known for his genial personality and his expertise and experience as a successful merchant, Joe Silverberg is excited to be able to respond positively to the demand for the quality fashion synonymous with the Bigsby & Kruthers brand.

"We believe that we have a terrific opportunity right now — we've had a great response from our manufacturers and a continuing demand from our customers to re-launch Bigsby & Kruthers with both men's and women's clothing. And we have the chance to locate at Block 37 in the heart of downtown Chicago where we can attract business people, tourists and visitors to the theatre district and the financial district."

Jack Shniderman is also a retailer with deep experience in the Chicago market. A native Chicagoan, Shniderman began his career at Eric Salm in Lincoln Village. Recruited by Robert Vance Ltd. in 1979 as a buyer, he worked his way up to president of the company with 3 retail stores and an outlet store. He bought the company in 1985 and still owns it.

Under his leadership, Robert Vance has been featured in Celebrated Living Magazine as one of the best places to shop "off the beaten path" and nominated by MR Magazine as one of the top 25 most interesting stores. The menswear newspaper, Daily News Record has also profiled the company.

Shniderman opened Polo Ralph Lauren stores for a company with licenses for locations in Pittsburgh, Fort Lauderdale and Short Hills, New Jersey. In 1986, Shniderman and his partners bought the Chicago Polo Ralph Lauren store. He sold it back to Ralph Lauren in 1993 as part of Lauren's buy-back of license rights prior to taking his company public.

Shniderman sees the new Bigsby & Kruthers as offering the next generation of service — the "new gentleman's cool" fashion with a diverse men's product offering of approximately 30% suiting and 70% sportswear and a significant custom area. The women's collections will be similarly cutting edge.

Both men emphasize that the store will offer a "special" experience to its customers with excellent service, new, cool clothing along with the more traditional and a mix of diverse price points that provide value at each price.

Bigsby & Kruthers will occupy 9,000 square feet on the second floor of the project.

In addition to Bigsby, the other new tenants announced today include Tahini, a 1,500 square-foot fast casual eatery located on the Transit Level that specializes in Mediterranean-style sandwiches, salads, and desserts.

Starfruit Cafe serves a variety of organic frozen yogurt and kefir in fruit flavors and more than 20 toppings. Other treats include parfaits and lowfat smoothie-style kefir drinks. Kefir is a cultured milk product, with more probiotic qualities than yogurt. The cafe occupies a 700 square- foot space on the Transit Level. It is owned by Lifeway Foods, a Morton Grove, Illinois-based company.

Sunglass Hut is a recognized leader of specialty sunglass retailing with nearly 2,000 locations worldwide. Sunglass Hut stores, located in a wide variety of high-traffic shopping and tourist destinations, offer consumers the latest branded products from Oakley, Ray-Ban, Guess, DKNY, and many more. Sunglass Hut at Block 37 is located on Level One in a 1,000 square-foot space.

Swarovski is considered by many to be the finest quality lead crystal made today, featuring precision-cut Austrian crystal in striking prisms of gleaming beauty. Products include figurines, designer table top accessories, art objects and jewelry. The 900 square-foot Swarovski boutique at Block 37 is located on Level One.

Leasing continues at the Block 37 project, with additional announcements expected in the next two to four weeks.

Other tenants announced to date include Chicago's Lettuce Entertain You, bringing a new-concept restaurant and food court to the project; Muvico, a premium movie venue offering reserved seating, restaurant and bar service and first-run movies; PUMA; Zara; Anthropologie; and a store and salon by Aveda.

Double Trouble for 108 North State

Crain's Chicago Business reports that one important store isn't going to open at 108 North State (Block 37) after all, and that means a second wants out.

The report cites a lawsuit stating that Apple has decided not to open an Apple Store at the Loop mall.  Upon hearing that, potential retail neighbor Lululemon decided it doesn't want to open its shop at Block 37, either.  The lawsuit says Lululemon has a co-tenancy agreement, so that if there's no Apple, there's no Lululemon.

Lululemon claims it was told by the mall that Apple never signed a lease.

Status Update: Block 37

Work continues on Block 37 / 108 North State / Daley Mills, or whatever it is you want to call the new mall in the very heart of the Loop.  Or does it?

The work must be going on inside because there' plenty of activity, but little change to those of us on the outside.  The sidewalks remain closed.  Lanes of traffic remain blocked.  And as far as the untrained eye can see things haven't changed much in months.

Again, that doesn't mean that progress isn't being made.  It just means there are few outward signs of it.