(rshsdepot) Buyer saves Skokie (IL) Swift station from wrecking ball

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the Chicago Sun-Times...

Buyer saves Skokie Swift station from wrecking ball

March 20, 2001

BY LUCIO GUERRERO SUBURBAN REPORTER

The historic Skokie Swift station will be spared the wrecking ball thanks to
a developer who is willing to move the building, refurbish it and open it up
as a retail complex.

The city has been seeking a buyer of the Dempster Street station since
November in an effort to save the prairie-style structure from destruction.
The building has been practically vacant since 1994, when the CTA built a
new station.

"This is one of those times where you can give something back to the
community," said Seymour Taxman, president of the Taxman Corporation.

Taxman and partner Scott Gendell of Terraco Inc. are paying $1 for the
station but will invest close to $1 million to move and restore it.

The 4,000-square-foot building was designed by Arthur Gerber in 1925. The
structure is considered the crowning achievement of the transit station
architect and in its heyday included stately terrazzo floors, intricate
eaves and complicated bracket work.

Outside, Gerber installed exterior globe lamps to give the building a
classic Midwestern look.

The developers have brought in Chicago architect Joseph Antunovich to lead
the restoration project. Antunovich has worked on a number of high-profile
rehabs, including the former Reliance Building in Chicago, which was later
converted to the Burnham Hotel.

"The building needs help," said Antunovich. "But there is enough there right
now that with a lot of tender loving care, we'll be able to make something
that everyone will be thrilled with."

The architect will use photos from the Skokie Historical Society as a guide
in the restoration process.

Under plans that were expected to be approved by the city council Monday
night, the building will be moved about 130 feet to the east to a parking
area owned by Skokie.

The restoration is expected to be started in the summer and should be
completed in about a year.

The developers have already received a letter of interest from the Starbucks
Coffee Company to lease up to 1,800 square feet in the building.

"This was once a very dramatic building," Antunovich said. "Once we are
done, people will see what you can do with an historic building."

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #26
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