NAI Hiffman represented Special Olympics Illinois in its purchase of a 20,000-square-foot, single-story flex office and event space building at 2324 W. Fulton St. in the Kinzie Corridor on Chicago’s Near West Side.
The sale closed Feb. 10 for $4.75 million.
Aubrey Englund, executive vice president, office services, at Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based NAI Hiffman, and Mike Lombardo of Blue Star Properties represented Special Olympics Illinois in the acquisition. Matt Cowie and Larry Goldwasser of CBRE represented the seller, a local private investment group.
Special Olympics Illinois will be expanding its Chicago regional office from 6,000 square feet of leased space at 820 W. Jackson Blvd. when the organization moves into the flex building this summer. Approximately 15 employees will be working at the new location.
Originally constructed as a foundry, 2324 W. Fulton was transformed by Helios Construction Services in 2014 into a modern mixed-use building for its own offices. The building’s design was a collaborative effort with the late architect Brad Lynch of Brininstool + Lynch. The team worked to preserve the building’s unique features and catalyzed further redevelopment on the west end of the Kinzie Corridor. The building was also designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating many energy-efficient features such as a geothermal heating and cooling system and on-site solar generation.
In 2017, Helios Construction Services executed another renovation at the building to expand the office space with the addition of four glass-enclosed offices, meeting rooms and amenities including a lounge, gym and kitchen.
Private event venue Ovation Chicago will remain a tenant at 2324 W. Fulton. The modern industrial loft space opened in late 2014 after the initial redevelopment of the building.
Special Olympics Illinois became a client of NAI Hiffman in 2012. Englund supports the Special Olympics through fundraising, volunteering and raising awareness of the not-for-profit’s mission.
Englund works with a wide range of commercial and nonprofit companies to identify and secure the ideal office space for their needs. In addition to Special Olympics Illinois, a few of her nonprofit clients include Ray Graham Association, We Raise Foundation, DuPage Senior Citizens Council and AgeGuide. She enjoys volunteering and raising money for many of the organizations.
