Historic Façade to be Ripped from Century Mall

Owners of the Century Shopping Centre may be breathing new life into the struggling mall, but that also means tearing off the ornate and historic designs on the building’s façade, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) says.

The 170,000-square-foot shopping center at 2828 N. Clark St. was sold for $18.5 million in 2011 to Bon Aviv Investments, a venture with two Israel-based backers.

Now Tunney says part of their revitalization plan, along with adding dining options to the Landmark Theatre, includes replacing the ornate design with additional windows.

“There’s a new real estate investment trust that owns the Landmark Theater,” Tunney said. “I want you to know that they have plans for redoing the façade and taking away the historic nature of it. It’s not a landmark building.

“I have not seen the plans, but the cost to maintain that terracotta… More importantly is the use,” he continued. “They want to open a lot of windows there, and really want to do a medical office building and different retail pieces that need to have a different façade.”

Tunney added that the team has yet to apply for permits, but they came to his office with the plan a few months ago. Some of the mall’s only current tenants include the theater, Aveda Institute, CVS Pharmacy, Victoria’s Secret and LA Fitness.

The news comes after Michael Fant, Landmark Theatres senior vice president of real estate and development, mentioned the mall’s redevelopment in early April. While giving a presentation about adding food and alcohol options to the theater, Fant said the entire mall would soon be remolded, starting with the façade.

“I know the Century owners are planning a major redevelopment, including redoing the entire front of the building,” Fant said.