The Chernin's Shoes chain went out of business in 1999, when Sterling Bay bought the South Loop properties.

Colliers, Bennett & Kahnweiler, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer David R. Kahnweiler and senior associate Michael L. Senner represented ComEd in the parking lot sale.

Sterling Bay is converting the 210,000-sf warehouse into Telecom 1, a telecommunications carrier hotel. Tampa, FL-based Switch & Data, a co-location and hosting company, was the building's first tenant after taking 30,000 sf on the first floor. "We are about three quarters finished with our $15 million renovation program," says Sterling Bay principal Scott L. Goodman. "Among the initial improvements, designed to satisfy the equipment-stacking requirements of the hotel-carrier market, we are adding redundant electrical power up to 150 watts per sf. We are also installing fiber optic cabling and a new roof."

Managing director Andy Gloor and associate Timothy Kuzul of Insignia/ESG, Inc.'s Chicago office is the exlusive leasing agent for Telecom I. Insignia director of interior construction Geoff Arend is project manager for construction and Chicago-based McClier is architectural/engineering consultant.

The former shoe store now has two new tenants. Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, an advocacy group for disabled adults, took 9,600 sf on the first floor. Racine Bakery, Inc. took 3,000 sf on the ground floor. "We are currently negotiating with a wireless communications retailer to lease the building's 3,500 sf, first-floor retail space at the corner of Roosevelt and Jefferson," says Sterling Bay principal Patrick O'Connor. "On the second floor, we are considering some very interesting and creative ideas for the 8,000 sf of office/retail space."

The Burnham Cos. executive vice president John J. Paschen Jr. represented Access Living in lease negotiations.