Chicago & Midwest + North Side + Retail | March 1, 2021

City Council Okays Redevelopment of Morton Salt Warehouse on Chicago River

Morton Salt’s former warehouse along the Chicago River could soon begin transforming into a music and events venue, the Chicago Tribune reported. The $50-million redevelopment plan by Blue Star Properties and R2 was approved Friday by the City Council.

Friday’s vote was the final hurdle the development team needed to clear to allow nonindustrial uses for the former salt storage facility, located on 4.25 riverfront acres on the city’s North Side.

Chicago restaurant and entertainment group 16 1/4 u2033 on Center plans to put on concerts and other events at the Elston Avenue property, known for the salt company’s large “Umbrella Girl” sign that’s visible from the Kennedy Expressway.

“I think it will be a premier music venue in Chicago because it has the inside and outside,” Craig Golden, president of Blue Star and a partner at 16 1/4 u2033 on Center, told the Tribune.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).