Chicago hospital opens retail and dining development

Chicago — Northwestern Memorial Hospital has completed the first phase of “Shop & Dine Northwestern,” a 70,000-sq.-ft. retail and restaurant development. The new facilities feature Chicago-based healthy quick service, fine dining and specialty retailers throughout the medical campus, which stands just one block east of Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile shopping district. Ranked sixth on U.S. News & World Report’s honor roll of “America’s Best Hospitals,” Northwestern plans to begin a second phase of redevelopment in 2014.



An estimated 25,000 people work at Northwestern’s medical campus, and an estimated 13 million tourists, patients, workers, guests and residents walk across the campus during the year, said Kathy Lin, managing partner of KHL Retail, which advised the hospital on the retail redevelopment.



“Urban hospitals are a largely untapped growth area for retailers,” continued Lin. “Northwestern Memorial Hospital is particularly attractive because of its huge daytime population of staff, visitors, patients and volunteers as well as its location in a fast-growing residential neighborhood near one of the world’s most popular retail destinations.”



Phase One Project highlights include:

• Creation of new street-facing retail spaces including Chicago-based Italian fast casual Sopraffina Marketcaffe and Cicchetti, a new full-service restaurant from The Rosenthal Group, which will feature one of the largest outdoor dining spaces in Chicago (opening December 2013).

• Redesign of the main second floor concourse to include new retail storefronts and updated common areas.

• Addition of several new Chicago-based dining concepts including Saigon Sisters, Protein Bar and Greek Kitchen.

• Relocation and storefront redesign of existing tenants including Pulse Gift Shop, Barbara’s Bookstore and Au Bon Pain.

• Redevelopment and expansion of Walgreens to become one of their new retail flagship prototype stores with greater emphasis on consultation and health (opening August 2014).

Many of the new retail spaces are open and operating. Phase II leasing is underway and encompasses an additional 17,000 sq. ft. of retail in the new one-million-sq.-ft., 24-story Outpatient Care Pavilion adjacent to the hospital. Slated to open in the fall of 2014, ground floor leases have already been signed with several concepts including LYFE Kitchen from chefs Art Smith and Tal Ronnen; Stan’s Doughnuts, a popular California destination debuting in Chicago in partnership with artisan baker Rich Labriola; and Cosi.



Additional phases are planned for the years ahead.