FitzGerald has been commissioned by ArcoMurray and Bon Aviv Investments to renovate the Century Shopping Centre building as it goes through its third generation of redevelopment—having been a grand theatre, an urban mall, and now a retail, food and beverage, entertainment, and educational destination to be known as “The Century.”
Built in 1925 as The Diversey Theatre, a 3,000 seat vaudeville and photoplay theater, it was acquired by dominant movie tycoons Balaban and Katz shortly before World War II and went on to become one of Chicago’s great movie houses of the North Side. As trends changed the theater became unprofitable, and in the 1970’s it was acquired and converted into a seven-level vertical shopping center. The facility was again refreshed in 2000 with an interior remodel and the addition of Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema.
FitzGerald’s plans will refresh common areas, renovate elevator banks, and design a new contemporary façade for the building with the existing terra cotta façade being carefully restored and incorporated into the new look.
Construction is expected to begin in March of 2014.
