How renovations are returning Aurora tower to 'cultural centerpiece'

A 1920s skyscraper on an island in the center of Illinois' second-largest city is in the process of becoming "majestic" again, supporters say.

Leland Tower has grandeur in its past as a swanky hotel - and the site where a group of prominent blues artists made recordings in 1937 and 1938 that changed the direction of the genre.

Leaders of the management company that bought the tower two years ago say its history gives them a passion for returning the building to its former stature.

"This used to be the hoppin' place to be," said Helen Nowak, property manager for Karademas Management, which has been operating the building as an apartment complex since May 2014. "This was very beautiful and it was palatial in its day."

Owner David Karademas calls the tower a "cultural centerpiece" and said an avant-garde, artistic, urban atmosphere already is taking shape as his team works on renovations. Improvements are underway to upgrade the building's living spaces, lobby and first-floor commercial areas.

"This will be somewhat of an intellectual gathering point," Karademas said.

The Leland project already has the support of other downtown leaders and merchants, said Bob Reuland, consultant to the Downtown Aurora group.

He praised Nowak for her wealth of ideas that "rub off on downtown Aurora."

Work on the tower, along with other improvements and programs in downtown, is creating an obvious enthusiasm, Reuland said. "We're really on the cusp of something really good," he said.

Renovations at the Leland started with the apartments.

One-bedroom units on 19 stories of the building are being revamped to rent for roughly $1,000 instead of $600. Karademas said his company is hearing five times the demand than can be filled with about 150 available apartments.

Work on the first floor came next, as Karademas realized the building's potential to connect with the nearby Paramount Theatre and contribute to the revival of downtown Aurora.

"It's really a changing city," he said. "This is the beginning, but a seed has been planted."

Along Stolp Avenue, Karademas evicted what he called a "creepy" convenience store. The company replaced it with Blue Bird Beat Coffee & Conveniences, naming the shop as a throwback to the Bluebird Records label that recorded prominent musicians Tampa Red, Washboard Sam, Robert Lee McCoy, "Big Joe" Williams, Bill "Jazz" Billium and Yank Rachel in the late 1930s.

The company bought out Midtown Pub and Grill, which had cloaked most of the tower's first floor in dim light with navy blue walls and a black bar. By May 1, hospitality managers Lauren Jones and Janine Schroeder plan to replace the pub with a comfortable restaurant, a cafe and performance space called Leland Legends.

"It will be attractive and accommodating for everybody," Jones said.

The restaurant will serve bar food and made-on-site drinks, a full kids menu and many vegetarian options, making for a wide variety of choices - each with a spin, she said.

The final renovation is in progress on the lobby, which during the building's days as a hotel was on the second floor, in a space with high ceilings and tall windows overlooking the Fox River. That space is being restored to serve as overflow seating for the restaurant and coffee shop, a space for gallery openings or receptions, and a museum documenting the building's blues history and the history of Aurora.

"This space we are planning to bring back almost exactly how it was," Karademas said.

All of the renovations aim to bring a sense of awe back to the building.

"It's majestic," Schroeder said, "both in the architecture and the aura."