AUBURN GRESHAM — A healthy living center bringing restaurants, a bank, a pharmacy and more to Auburn Gresham will open in the fall after construction was delayed.
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub, 839 W. 79th St., will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 29, said Carlos Nelson, director of the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation.
The center was scheduled to open July 29, but “supply chain delays in preparation for the ribbon cutting slowed things down,” Nelson said.
The Auburn Gresham organization will also host a “grand opening” on Nov. 11 for neighbors, Nelson said. Hollywood-style spotlights will reflect neighbors as they arrive, food will be available and residents can tour the healthy center.
“We want everyone to come out and make it home,” Nelson said. “They will be the parties of all parties.”
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub won the $10 million 2020 Pritzker Traubert Foundation Chicago Award and received $4 million from the city’s Invest South/West program.
The four-story center will include a Mikkey’s Retro Grill, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Illinois, a high-tech kitchen sponsored by the Chicago Bears and a coffee shop. The offices of the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will be on the fourth floor.
A Bank of America and UI Healthy Clinic and urgent care center will once again provide essential services to the community after the recent departure of several businesses over the past few years.
In the days leading up to the grand opening, “the excitement has been building,” Nelson said. People come up to the 18-by-18-foot windows and wonder what’s next for the abandoned building that’s being transformed, Nelson said.
The Healthy Hub will be one of many investments that will illuminate the direction Auburn Gresham is going, Nelson said.
“There’s a lot of investment in the community and I want homeowners to reap the benefits through their home appraisals and more,” Nelson said. “I hope the development will attract the attention of young families and potential homeowners who see it as an emerging opportunity in a South Side neighborhood.”
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