Construction has started on a project that will bring one longtime Oak Brook-headquartered major company to the former site of another.
Ace Hardware, which has had its corporate headquarters in Oak Brook since 1974 and currently is located at 2200 Kensington Court, is moving later this year to 2915 Jorie Boulevard, which previously was the main building on the McDonald’s corporate campus.
Construction began in February and Ace Hardware expects to be relocated in mid-to-late 2023.
“We love Oak Brook and feel fortunate that we can stay in the village, substantially upgrade our facilities, all at a lower net cost,” William Guzik, executive vice president, chief financial officer & chief risk officer for Ace Hardware said Thursday March 2.
Guzik said the move allows Ace Hardware to have all employees — approximately 1,100 — in one building, instead of three, at a lower net cost than the current landlord’s renewal proposal.
“We will save money by moving versus staying,” he said. “It’s a much better facility and location.”
Guzik said the space in the new headquarters will be about the same as Ace now has, but with room to expand. He said Ace will vacate its current headquarters this summer, although the lease continues through Dec. 31, 2024.
“The building was recently sold as part of a large, multi-parcel transaction, and the landlord will eventually search for a new tenant,” Guzik said.
The project of transforming the former McDonald’s facility into a new headquarters for Ace Hardware is being done by Chicago-based building contractor Skender. The new headquarters for Ace will consist of open workstations, 150 conference rooms, 12 cafes/pantries and a variety of collaboration spaces and amenities, according to information from Skender.
McDonald’s moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago from Oak Brook in 2018 and in 2019 sold its former campus site to John Paul DeJoria, the co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, a company that has served the professional beauty industry with hair care products and styling tools for nearly 40 years, and of Patron Spirits Company.
The renovation project will reuse and retain many of the main building’s original architectural elements, including a large atrium in the center that connects the rest of the building and skywells that allow ample natural light to flow throughout the space, according to information from Skender.
The project team will be installing demountable office and conference fronts, which in addition to being more sustainable and economical than drywall, create functional, soundproof and visually private interior office spaces. This also allows for faster construction and provides flexibility for reconfiguration options in the future.
To combat external supply chain challenges, Skender is working with Ace Hardware to procure materials earlier than usual and leveraging flexible phasing and work sequencing to further streamline the construction schedule.
In addition to Skender’s work on the main building, the landlord will be converting the first floor of the parking garage into an amenity suite that includes a fitness center, conference center, multipurpose room, and large cafeteria and dining center with commercial kitchen.
“We are delighted to partner with Ace Hardware on the restoration and revitalization of this beautiful space,” Tom Walsh, project manager at Skender said in a statement. “These buildings were designed to blend in with the area’s natural features with future expansion and evolution in mind, and it’s great to be able to update an existing structure to fit the needs of a modern workforce.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
