Englewood Construction, one of the country’s leading commercial construction firms, has announced its restaurant and retail groups have recently broken ground on four projects, completed three projects and started work on one expansion project across the country.
In the Chicago area, Englewood’s restaurant group recently broke ground on an 11,265-square-foot, ground-up Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Oaklawn, Ill., and an expansion for the popular Purple Pig restaurant on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.
This will be the seventh Chicago-area location for Cooper’s Hawk, which is known for its upscale casual dining and Napa-style wine tasting experience. The Purple Pig, located in one of Chicago’s busiest commercial corridors, is a popular Mediterranean restaurant and collaboration between several of the city’s famed chefs.
“The restaurant industry remains thriving as consumers continue to crave experiences that can’t be replicated at home,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “We are excited to embark on two such high-profile projects in the Chicago area. Cooper’s Hawk brings a refreshing design challenge as the owners strive to create a unique environment and experience in each restaurant they develop. We look forward to making the Oak Lawn restaurant a stand-out location. As for the Purple Pig, our extensive experience on Michigan Avenue and sterling track record with fine-dining restaurant development will serve us well on this build-out project.”
Oak Park, Ill.-based Aria Group will serve as the architect for the Cooper’s Hawk project, while Englewood will work with Chicago based Parachin Design Studios Ltd. on the Purple Pig.
Recently, Englewood also broke ground on two new restaurant projects with national client Darden Restaurants, Inc. In Kansas City, Mo., the firm began work on a build-out for the Yard House, an 8,000-square-foot project in the popular Power & Light District.
According to Di Santo, the structure on one side of Yard House was 3 ½ feet lower than the opposite side, which required Englewood to create an innovative structural solution to elevate the lower side so as to level out the overall floor plan.
“I’ve seen it all in my 30 years of construction, so a rather unique construction challenge like this did not phase Englewood, as it may have a less experienced firm,” he said. “We were able to implement a viable solution quickly and keep the project completion on schedule.”
In Bridgewater, NJ, Englewood recently broke ground on a 10,913-square-foot ground up Season’s 52 restaurant. This is the second Season’s 52 for Englewood. Last year, the general construction firm completed a Season’s 52 in Chicago’s The Shops at North Bridge on Michigan Ave. Lexington, Ky.-based Roberts Group will serve as architect on the Yard House project and Orlando-based Cuhaci & Peterson Architects will work on Season’s 52.
Retail Group busy as well
Englewood Construction’s retail group also has four recent projects of note.
The company recently broke ground on a 55,000-square-foot, ground-up Hobby Lobby at Seabrook Crossings, a new mall in Seabrook, N.H. Hobby Lobby will be located on an outlet pad and is considered a main anchor for the development.
“It’s very encouraging to see all of these new, ground-up construction projects right now,” said Di Santo. “In year’s past, infill construction has been the main avenue for expansion. As the economy continues to improve, restaurateurs and retailers are now confident in taking on bigger projects in new locations. It’s an exciting time.”
At Westfield’s Old Orchard mall in Skokie, Ill., Englewood recently completed an Ivivva, a clothing store for active girls from the creators of Lululemon. The company also completed two Lululemon stores, one in Louisville, Ky. and one at the Roosevelt Collection in Chicago. All three projects were in partnership with construction management firm CMG Services of Edwardsville, Ill., a new client for Englewood.
“We are very pleased to begin such a positive working relationship with a quality firm like CMG Services,” said Di Santo. “Our experience and skill sets align well and we look forward to working with them on many future projects.”
