Retrofit Atlas

Big boxes · Illinois

Former Sears department store

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRetrofit builtChicago, IL

Completed retrofit: 59 apartments + 19k sq ft retail (2021), sold for $28.45M (2025). · summary, model-written

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Site profile10 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
Sold since 2020This site: 2025 Bender Companies research-deals · all sites with this
Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 10 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 4,853 units, Cook County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,228/mo zillow · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -0.7% census-acs · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: 59 apartments and about 19000 square feet of retail space record · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: 59 apartments and about 19000 square feet of retail space newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: 59 apartments and about 19000 square feet of retail space newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtWikipedia no source
StrategyRedevelopedWikipedia no source
New useshousing, retailWikipedia no source
What is there now59 apartments and about 19000 square feet of retail spacenewtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperBender Companiesnewtypes-extraction reported

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2025Sold$28.4M closedBender Companies ← CA Residentialeconomictimes.indiatimes.com

Site context

Housing permits, Cook County (IL), 20244,853 units in 5+ unit buildings, 512 in 2–4, 1,142 single-family; 2023: 3,332 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby10 within 10 km, 26 within 25 km: Megamall (5.2 km); Lincolnwood Town Center (5.5 km); 1800 N. Clybourn (6.4 km); BP Gas Station at 1647 N. LaSalle Drive (7.1 km); Shell Gas Station at 130 W. North Ave. (7.3 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)213,302 jobs in 12,604 establishments; average annual pay $43,743; employment location quotient 0.83; employment -0.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022844 jobs; 351 in retail trade, 44 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 17031040402)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 45th income percentile as adults; 2.0% incarcerated at the 2010 count (680 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 6.5%; median family income $142,054; 163 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsChicago Public School District 299 (PK-12); 8 public schools within 1 mile: Amundsen High School; Chappell Elem School; Courtenay Elem Language Arts Ctr; McPherson Elem SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation598 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-20251,091 county-logged events: 620 thunderstorm wind, 164 hail, 133 flood, 82 flash flood; $1,049,471,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 60640, 2026-09median list price $289,250 (-15.7% on the year); 68 active listings; median 24 days on market; 5% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 202313,577 establishments (-11%); 214,575 jobs (-4%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $340,258 (+6% 1 yr, +23% 5 yr); typical rent $2,228/mo (+5% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)19,578 vehicles a day on Ashland Ave (minor arterial, 4 lanes); 5 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Former Sears store (Chicago, IL) closed in 2016. Redeveloped into 59 apartments and 19,000 sq ft retail by Bender Companies, completed in 2021. Sold by CA Residential to Bender Companies for $28.45M in 2025.

Why. Retrofit already built (2021 completion). Housing component confirmed in record. Market validated by 2025 sale price.

Where it stands. Site is operational. Nearby context: Megamall (5.2km, built), Lincolnwood Town Center (5.5km, partial), and proposed gas stations (7.1-7.3km). Traffic: Ashland Ave minor arterial (19,578 ADT, 2024).

For a planner

  • 59-unit housing project completed
  • Retail space confirmed (19k sq ft)
  • No new construction needed (existing retrofit)

For a developer

  • 2025 sale price: $28.45M
  • Housing market strong (ZHVI +6% YoY)
  • Adjacent to established retail clusters (Megamall, Lincolnwood)

What we do not know yet

  • No vacancy rates or tenant data provided
  • Traffic truck volume not recorded (trucks_aadt: null)
  • No details on retail tenant mix

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Randhurst Mall, Mount Prospect, IL · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in IL; 25 km away
  • Megamall, Chicago, IL · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in IL; 5 km away
  • Illinois Brick Company's yard 22, Blue Island, IL · Industrial sites · same strategy: redevelop; also in IL; 35 km away
  • St Charles Mall, St Charles, IL · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in IL

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

AnchorsSears
CountyCook County
Census division3 · East North Central
NotesDraft from economictimes.indiatimes.com, model-extracted, unreviewed: A former Sears department store closed in 2016 was redeveloped in 2021 into 59 apartments and retail space, then sold for $28.45 million in 2025.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Timeline

  1. 2016 Sears department store permanently closed
  2. 2021 Redevelopment completed into 59 apartments and retail space
  3. 2025 Sold for $28.45 million

Sources

  • Chicago real estate news: A former Chicago Sears store was converted ...
    4 quoted sentences
    Former Sears department store
    The building originally housed Sears department store that permanently closed in 2016.
    The property was redeveloped in 2021 to include 59 apartments and about 19000 square feet of retail space.
    A former Sears department store in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, redeveloped into 59 apartments and retail space in 2021, has sold for $28.45 million.

More in Illinois

Forest Park MallForest Park, IL · 1997Reinhabited · Reinhabitation: retail and religiousMegamallMegamallChicago, IL · 2015Redeveloped · Redevelopment: residential mixed-usePark Forest PlazaPark Forest PlazaPark Forest, IL · 2001Partial Redeveloped · Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streetsRandhurst MallRandhurst MallMount Prospect, IL · 2010Redeveloped · Redevelopment: mixed use, new streetsSpring Hill MallSpring Hill MallWest Dundee, IL · 2015Partial Redeveloped · Partial redevelopment, open air streetSt Charles MallSt Charles, IL · 2016Redeveloped · Redevelopment: residential, new streets