By Matt PresserThe Daily Northwestern
It’s official.
As if there were any questions about whether or not Sherman Plaza – the hulking downtown tower that cuts into the Evanston skyline – was open, there are no more after Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
In the crowd of about 80 developers, community leaders and local business owners, there wasn’t as much as a whisper about some neighbors’ concerns about the building’s appearance, its being anchored by commercial retailers instead of small businesses or the length of time it took to construct.
Instead, everyone who spoke publicly about the building called it a success, downplaying the seven years that have elapsed since the project was originally proposed. Virtually no a negative words were said during the hour-long “celebration” catered by Cereality Cereal Bar & Café, which plans to open at 1622 Sherman Ave. around Thanksgiving.
“This is a big day in the city of Evanston, a big day for us,” said Tim Anderson, president of Focus Development, one of the companies responsible for Sherman Plaza.
The event was attended by several city officials – such as Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton, City Manager Julia Carroll, and Ald. Anjana Hansen (9th) – along with a number of small business owners, both inside and outside Sherman Plaza.
Chris Mailing, owner of Turin Bicycle, 1027 Davis St., came to the ribbon-cutting ceremony even though his store is a couple blocks away from Sherman Plaza.
“(Sherman Plaza) is a fantastic addition to downtown that’s going to add to the whole vibrancy of downtown,” said Mailing, who said he thought the “intriguing concept” of Cereality would be successful downtown.
David Roth, CEO and founder of Cereality, said he is “psyched” about the store’s convenient location near students, families and businesspeople.
The store, which he said will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., will include the Cereality Sprinter, a van that drives around to different neighborhoods delivering their unique cereal mixes such as Burst o’ Berry and A-Maize-Ing Grains, which are served in Chinese food containers.
The “lifestyle center,” bordered by Sherman and Benson avenues and Church and Davis streets, consists of 253 condominium units and 152,000 square feet of retail space, occupied by such tenants as Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, LA Fitness and Washington Mutual. It also includes a nearly 1,600-space parking garage that opened over the summer.
Jim Klutznick, another developer in the project, said architecture involves “a lot of family tradition” for him. His father was responsible for Skokie’s Old Orchard Mall project and his son, Marc, also worked on Sherman Plaza.
“I feel very hopeful for the future of this town,” he said. “We’re here to stay.”
City Manager Carroll, who called the ribbon cutting a “momentous occasion,” said she is particularly excited not just because it’s a “wonderful addition to downtown,” but also because she has purchased a condominium unit herself.
In a short speech before she cut the ribbon, Morton said she is “proud, very proud, that these developers had faith in Evanston.”
“I hope no one tells Donald Trump about Evanston because … it’ll be hard to top what Klutznick and Focus have done,” she said.
Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].
