Schaumburg entertainment district to start with imminent demolition of office complex
The countdown is under way this month for the demolition of a single-story office complex that will mark the first step in the creation of an entertainment district adjacent to Schaumburg's Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center.
In September, Schaumburg trustees approved a $569,500 contract with Markham-based KLF Enterprises for the removal of the former Woodfield Green Executive Centre at 1920 and 1930 Thoreau Drive.
Work is expected to begin the week of Oct. 16, just after the Mecum Auto Auction that runs from Oct. 13 to 15 at the convention center.
The start of the project may be subtle, focusing on the disconnection of utilities from the two buildings. The demolition is expected to be completed by the onset of winter weather, with perhaps some further restoration of the site to be done in the spring.
Trustees previously approved two contracts totaling $381,062 to repave the office center's parking lot and relocate its light poles' power supply to make it a temporary overflow parking lot before the Mecum Auto Auction.
The upcoming demolition won't add to the capacity of the parking lot.
The village bought the office center for $6.58 million in 2017 with the intention of incorporating the property into an entertainment district. Some tenants with especially long-term leases were paid to leave earlier.
The last to go was Bright Horizons Early Childhood & Education Center, which was paid $3.5 million generated by the area's tax-increment financing district to move to Roosevelt University's nearby Schaumburg campus. Bright Horizons held potential lease extensions that could have gone on until 2045.
Orlando-based Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is planned to anchor the entertainment district's first phase, which would also include another entertainment venue, a restaurant and a 900-space parking deck west of the Renaissance Hotel.
The Woodfield Green property is expected to eventually evolve from a temporary parking lot to a future phase of an ultimately 28-acre entertainment district on the east side of Meacham Road.