Anixter Center has tasked Cushman & Wakefield with marketing the 140,000-square-foot building and adjacent parcel totaling nearly two acres at 2032 N. Clybourn in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The non-profit organization relocated its former headquarters four years ago, transforming its work by taking programs into multiple communities closer to its clients.
“We are absolutely honored to work with Anixter, an iconic and vital organization integral to Chicago’s social service fabric,” said Cushman & Wakefield managing director, Eric Sorensen. “This property will have tremendous appeal to the development community given it’s not a north-end or south-end to Lincoln Yards but a doorway to this landmark redevelopment. The combination of being one of the largest and most well-located parcels near the CBD and adjacent to a billion-dollar, mixed-use development just heightens its value.”
In addition to Sorensen, Cushman & Wakefield managing senior director Kathleen Nelson, director Dirk Riekse and executive director Larry Goldwasser, SIOR, are also representing Anixter on the assignment.
The sale of 2032 N. Clybourn allows the organization to expand the number of clients and communities served. The 101-year old Chicago non-profit delivers programming, education and independent life skills to more than 8,000 individuals who are developmentally disabled, have behavioral health needs or are deaf, blind or hard of hearing.
“This is a fundamental key to our future, and we’re excited to stabilize our long-term financial plan, given the uncertainty for providers like us in Illinois,” said Rebecca Clark, Anixter Center CEO. “With Lincoln Yards’ redevelopment underway, we have great prospects to further contribute to the neighborhood’s vitality through redevelopment of 2032 N. Clybourn. It’s an outstanding property, and a rare opportunity at the gateway to Lincoln Yards.”
The sale of 2032 N. Clybourn will help fund more professional staff, more resources and more housing for Chicagoans supported by Anixter Center programs. Clark emphasized the critical importance of proceeds from the sale, particularly in light of inadequate reimbursement from the State of Illinois for community-based opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Illinois ranks 47th in the nation for funding these services.
“To know our work will contribute to Anixter’s future success makes us feel fortunate to play a role in support of their mission and legacy,” Sorensen said. “The sale will be a win-win for the buyer and this vital organization.”