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May 07, 2005
About the Professional Building
Hey, are you looking for office space? Perhaps you are opening a dental practice... or something medical like that. I guess Old Orchard has medical office space in their Professional Building. Yeah, it's so true! Now you can go to work and then shop the mall on your breaks. Not many people have that sort of opportunity (well, I did when I worked at Randhurst, but that's another story).
According to the sign in the Old Orchard parking lot, leasing for the Professional Building is handled by NAI Hiffman, the Chicago area representative for NAI – the world's largest commercial real estate organization (or so they say on their website). NAI Hiffman is the largest full-service, privately owned real estate services firm in the Midwest. How exciting!
Oh, it gets better. Here's what they proclaim: "We deliver results that combine our best real estate practices with your strategic business goals. Every professional service that we provide is focused on your bottom line. We view real estate as a dynamic road map that leads our services to your needs. Wherever you need to be, NAI Hiffman is already there." Wow, you can't lose with these guys!
Believe it or not, the Professional Building actually looked a little different just a few years ago. I don't if anything has changed on the inside, but the exterior has undergone some noticeable changes.
Before the Westfield Borg took over Old Orchard Center ("You will be assimilated – resistance is futile"), the top of the Professional Building displayed the words "Old Orchard" in such a way that you could locate the mall from miles away. It was a grand icon.
Since the Westfield takeover, however, a new sign proclaiming "Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard" now caps the 8-story building. I think this might be a cloth-based sign with lights behind it, as I've seen it ripple in the wind on occasion.
The building itself straddles the open-air walkway of the mall below, technically falling in The Promenade section of Old Orchard. Directly underneath the building lies Crate & Barrel, Starbucks, and Banana Republic. Surprisingly, there is a cozy feeling when you are underneath the building. The decor isn't so sterile as to turn you away, but it's not all warm and fuzzy either.
The building is located on the north side of the shopping center. Interestingly, it possesses its own underground parking garage that can be found on the Old Orchard Road side of the mall, right near Bloomingdales. I've never set foot in either the Professional Building itself or the parking garage. Maybe one of these days...
Posted by Tannerman at May 7, 2005 06:57 PM | Categories: Professional Building | The Promenade