PHOTOS: Mega-Walgreens Under Construction, Opening Delayed

The Walgreens superstore planned for Lake View is facing building setbacks, according to Ald. Tom Tunney’s (44th) office, with a new grand opening date slated for sometime in spring of 2013.

Ald. Tunney's Communications Director Erin Duffy attended the South East Lake View Neighbors meeting Monday night, updating the group the local Walgreens project had construction problems. This comes after the building permit was officially approved at the end of September to begin construction.

Sitting on the corner where Clark Street, Diversey Parkway and North Broadway meet, the current Walgreens is moving to the former Borders Bookstore to become a two-story “mega” Walgreens.

The building is getting a complete makeover to accommodate some new features of the store. And according to Bennett Lawson,  Chief of Staff, exterior construction should be under way soon.

“Walgreens would love to open before the holidays, if that’s at all possible,” Lawson said before learning about the construction setbacks. “… They should be cutting off the front of that building soon. That glass entrance gives us a little more of a plaza in the front.”

Lawson said contractors are currently in their build-out phase, and with the interior already gutted, construction on the exterior is next. In total, the estimated cost to renovate the former bookstore is $3.5 million, according to the building permit. Howard Hirsch, president of Hirsch Associates Architecture and Planning and the mastermind behind the two-story building, says finishes will be an additional $700,000.

According to the approved permit, contractors will be doing interior demolition, adding a new elevator, new stairs, new roof and new floors on first and second floor.

“They’re in their build-out now, and it’s super. With a sushi counter and a manicurist and everything – I mean, you name it."

The new Lake View Walgreens will be modeled after the Loop flagship store that opened in January, catering to an upscale clientele. With amenities like a café and sushi chef, this store will be a far cry from the company’s traditional stores.

“They’re in their build-out now, and it’s super,” Lawson said. “With a sushi counter and a manicurist and everything – I mean, you name it. They’ll have a really full cosmetics department with staff, the pharmacy is expanding, there will be a little café – there’s just more space than you have in others, and there will be more food.”

While it’s still unclear what will fill Walgreens’ current location on the same corner after the move, plans for the new store continue to look more extravagant. According to architects at Hirsch Associates, the south-facing corner will soon be opened up to a two-story glass atrium, offering views of a glass-railed escalator and two levels of merchandise.

“The new design gives Walgreens the kind of prominence they are looking for as they move forward with their new merchandising concept,” the firm wrote on their website.

However, the new store won’t be without fierce competition. Along with a new CVS Pharmacy that recently opened at the Century Shopping Mall on Clark, a controversial new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is also under construction right next to the two-story Walgreens.

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But while controversy behind the new Wal-Mart grocery store remains, very little – if any – controversy was raised about Walgreens’ big move. According to Executive Director of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce Maureen Martino, she hopes Wal-Mart will take a page from Walgreens’ book.

“Walgreens is a locally owned company,” Martino said. “They’ve been very loyal to the Chicago market, and they’ve been very responsive to the needs of the community. They give back. I’m hoping that with this new review of labor practices by the city council, we’ll see a new way that Wal-Mart operates.”

Neighbors in Lincoln Park, however, are grumbling about a proposed three-story Walgreens on W. Armitage Avenue. That project remains in the works.

Editor's Note: This story was updated on Oct. 8 at 8:55 p.m. after Erin Duffy's update about delays at the project.  

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