Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/67043
Now, as perhaps the trendiest neighborhood in Chicago, River North has become an "envi- ronment not only conducive to working and playing, but living as well," says celebrity chef Graham Elliot, who opened his eponymous res- taurant at 217 West Huron in 2008 Grahamwich at 615 N. State St. two years later. That round-the-clock mentality has ushered into the neighborhood digital entrepreneurs like 1871, Razorfish, and Google. "Being open 24/7 was really important for us," says Kevin Willer, CEO and president of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, which recently opened 1871, a 50,000-square-foot space for digital start-ups at the Merchandise Mart. He says they picked River North for several reasons: its great public transportation and bike lanes and because it offers the ability to work where people want to socialize. "River North is becoming a tech hub," Willer says. "It's not a cheap-rent dis- trict, but it has The Golden Triangle is one of many upscale home furnishing stores and showrooms that now occupy the area. Tech entrepreneurs picked River North because it offers the ability to work where people want to socialize. The Reid Murdoch Building was designated as a Chicago landmark. that great combination of proximity to downtown, culture, the restaurants, bars, and places attractive to a young high-tech crowd. People want to come to work but also want to go out to lunch and socialize after work. It means a lot to hang out with your friends in your neighborhood." It's the reason Mike Sands, the former Orbitz CMO and COO and current president and CEO of BrightTag, a digital marketing technology start-up, says he moved his 8,000-square-foot-office to 440 North Wells in River North in February. He says the district's reputation helps when recruiting employees. "They don't want the four walls or cubicle," he says. "Even though it's an extra 10-minute walk from the Metra, it makes a world of difference when you cross the river." The FuTure " It's amazing what's happening with River North," says Donald Trump, whose glittering Trump Tower sits along the Chicago River on the former site of the Chicago Sun-Times building. "It's one of the reasons we are there." And while the Trump building offers the most luxurious condominiums and hotels in the area, many others are on their way. "River North has shown to be recession-proof," says Jerry Lasky, president, chairman and co-CEO of Spectrum Real Estate, which he cofounded in 1987 with Murray Peretz. "People want to be down here. But I think the biggest surprise is that now we are seeing young families and people with strollers." As Chicago's "It" neighborhood, River North has nothing for sale any- more, Lasky says. Still, there are pockets of construction, including the massive 43-story, 450-unit luxury multifamily high-rise—a joint venture between The Habitat Company and Multi-Employer Property Trust (MEPT) at 360 West Hubbard, across from the East Bank Club. Other spots include the 20-story high-rise being built for American KidZ Academy on Kingsbury Street near Erie Park. "River North is still a work in progress," Friedman says. "I have plans [for the next decade] far more significant than what we see today. I never even con- sider that I've arrived. I'm always thinking about what I can do better." MA 124 michigaNavemag.com and