I had dreams of buying the main Chicago Post Office that went up for auction today! But of course it was just a fun dream -- with a suggested opening bid of only $300,000 (actual opening bid was $1 million) it sure did seem doable. The winner today got a bargain for this 3 million square foot beautiful mammoth building. They got it for only $13.33 a square foot! Hey Dean, was it you? LOL
Now the question is, will it become a retail destination? Condos? An urban amusement park? If you have any fun ideas as to what you would turn such a property into, share them here! Let's have fun with this! Here's the story of today's sale:
http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35283
Chicago's Main Post Office Sells for $40 million at Auction
(Crain’s) — A bidder agreed at an auction Thursday to pay $40 million for the Old Main Post Office.
The Old Main Post Office. The winning bid came from a man and woman who did not speak to reporters. A U.S. Postal Service spokesman identified them only as principals with International Property Developers North America Inc. The spokesman would describe the company only as a global development firm and would not say where it is based.
He said the winning bidders were foreign. They signed a contract and paid $250,000 in earnest money, the spokesman said.
He read a statement from the winners in which they said they plan to “re-energize” the building.
The auction took about a half hour, with bidding starting at $300,000, the suggested opening offer.
The bidding narrowed to two prospective buyers at about $15 million.
The winners are to close on the purchase by Sept. 30.
The roughly 3-million-square-foot building at 433 W. Van Buren St., which straddles the Congress Parkway, has been vacant for more than a decade. The building was once the world’s biggest post office, but has been vacant since the mid-’90s when the Postal Service moved to its current facility nearby.
Chicago-based Rick Levin & Associates Inc. conducted the sale. Rick Levin said more than a dozen bidders registered.
The U.S. Postal Service said in June that it planned to auction the building, after a deal to sell the building to Chicago-based Walton Street Capital LLC fell apart. Walton Street first put the building under contract
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I neglected to put my idea in the post! I thought the space would be great to become the U.S. Circus Educational and Performance Center (guess because of my my DG site ID and photo that won't surprise people). There would be year round circus classes, rehearsal space, a permanent indoor circus, a circus retail shop, a circus themed museum, a circus themed restaurant, etc. And there's parking there so it's self contained!
Help feed the hungry - www.freerice.com
This is true for RE..."The best way to learn this business is to do this business." - John Addision, co-chief executive officer, Primerica
Aerialist's Journal - Because Life Is a Circus
http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/18857/...
I saw on the news this property sold for $40 million and the company wants to develop and restore the building. I believe it would be a great development based on the location. Anything from a large business like a ciurcus, howver it will probably become office space and or condos. It is a unique buildign for the city and a focal point of that part of the city. Believe and Achieve!
- Joe
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