Des Plaines seeking tenants for downtown building that once was a Masonic temple
Des Plaines officials are seeking tenants for a city-owned, 100-year-old building in the heart of the downtown district.
Retail, restaurant, entertainment or event-driven businesses are sought for the former Leela Arts Center and Masonic temple building, on the northwest corner of Miner and Lee streets.
An open house will be held for prospective tenants who register for the private event.
The three-story, 28,600-square-foot building is across Lee Street from the Des Plaines Theatre and just down Miner Street from city hall and the police station. The city bought the building last year for nearly $2.1 million with the aim of expanding downtown dining- and entertainment-related offerings.
"It's part of the bigger picture of making the downtown area an entertainment venue," 8th Ward Alderman Mike Charewicz said.
The building was constructed in the early 1920s. The original occupant, a Masonic lodge, used the building until the 1930s.
The building includes a 4,500-square-foot multipurpose ballroom and a roughly 4,900-square-foot theater.
The Leela Arts Center last used the second-story theater space; it closed in 2016. Previous occupants included the Bog Theatre, Stage One Productions and the Des Plaines Theatre Guild.
Storefront retail spaces are on the ground floor. The Amazing Breads & Cakes bakery, 7 Red Roses Floral Design Studio, Sharan's Eyebrows and Salon and Hollywood Nail Bar are the current ground-floor tenants.
Although the city's plans focus on finding tenants, officials would consider selling the building if the right buyer came along, Charewicz said.
"(That) isn't off the table," he said.
More information about the building and the lease application process can be found at desplaines.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=2922.
To register for the open house, visit t.ly/G5zU4. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. June 19.