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Supporting Dialogue on Design

Supporting Dialogue on Design

December 11, 2018

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DMA sponsored an educational program at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) on December 11, featuring a panel of retail experts discussing new and notable projects in branded design on the Magnificent Mile and their larger meaning in the retail landscape.

The opportunity to sponsor "Design Dialogues: The Changing Face of Downtown Retail" grew from DMA Managing Principal Charles Porter’s support of the CAC as a donor. Porter introduced the evening’s expert panelists. Jay Longo, a principal at Solomon Cordwell Buenz, described the transformation of the Michigan Avenue Crate and Barrel store into the Starbucks Reserve Roastery that will open later this year. David Stone, a well-known Chicago retail broker, gave a fascinating retrospective of the retail history of Michigan Avenue. Ray Tareghian, a former visual merchandising manager for Burberry, shared his knowledge of the evolution of Burberry’s Michigan Avenue presence from 1981 through its current, iconic design. Cheryl Durst, executive vice president and CEO of the International Interior Design Association, served as the program moderator.

DMA’s Jaimie Bullla and Erik Haugsnes also attended the program. Many DMA team members are actively involved with the CAC and its mission to inspire people to discover why design matters. The nonprofit cultural organization opened its new home at 111 East Wacker, along the Chicago River, in August.

Escalators Overnight

Escalators Overnight

October 9th, 2018

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Situated on Broadway beside New York’s Times Square, the Brill Building presents distinctive location challenges when managing restoration and improvements. To install new escalators in the landmark office property, part of landlord work for an incoming tenant, the DMA team coordinated a nighttime arrival by truck. The process minimized impact to tourists, locals, and businesses and ensured the on-time delivery of tenant space. It’s one more example of DMA’s responsiveness to client and project needs. (You want that where and when? Here’s how we’ll do it.)

DMA Chicago’s Day of Service

DMA Chicago’s Day of Service

July 25th, 2018

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The DMA team took a hands-on approach to community service on July 25th, committing a day’s labor to a cause members care about in Chicago. DMA’s Chicago office team assisted the Habitat for Humanity building team at the construction site of a home being built in Fox Valley. Team members measured, cut and applied siding, and painted all interior baseboard finishes, enjoying the opportunity to collaborate skills in new ways and create needed affordable housing. For over a decade, DMA’s Tim Feldballe has volunteered in leadership roles with Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Rooftop Farming

Rooftop Farming

June 6th, 2018

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At 17,000 square feet, a new rooftop farm in the Pike & Rose development is the largest such space in the mid-Atlantic region. Situated on a retrofitted green roof above a parking garage, The Farm embodies the local food movement, growing produce closer to consumers. Some in the Pike & Rose residential and office communities have a window view of their growing veggies: kale, collared greens, lettuces, radishes, and more. Up Top Acres, which runs a network of rooftop farms across the DC metro area, is already harvesting its first season of crops at Pike & Rose. Members pick up a weekly share of produce. The Farm supplies local restaurants as well. The project also helps manage stormwater runoff and create greenspace in the urban neighborhood. DMA is proud to be part of the retail tenant delivery effort for this innovative, multiphase development.  

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Atop the mid-Atlantic's largest rooftop farm

Retail Isn’t Dead, Boring Retail Is

Retail Isn’t Dead, Boring Retail Is

June 27th, 2018

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Reports of retail's demise are great clickbait, but the market is still very strong for many retailers.  On June 27, 2018 at the East Bank Club, Michelle Panovich, Partner with Mid-America Real Estate Group, moderated a question and answer session that addressed questions like "How do I reinvent my marketplace?" "How can I use technology to get shoppers into my marketplace?"  "How do I get a visitor to the center into my store?"  "How do I deliver an integrated online and brick and mortar experience?"  Panelists included: Jaime Bertsche, Vice President of Leasing, Mid-America Asset Management, Rick Filler, President and COO, The Harlem Irving Companies, Inc., and Samantha Schnell, Director of Leasing, IRC Retail Centers. DMA's Heather Martin, a member of Crew Chicago, helped plan the event and presented the various speakers. 

Model Open at District House

Model Open at District House

May 2018

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With exterior construction in the final stages of completion and 24 of 28 homes sold, District House in Oak Park, Illinois has a new model unit open to prospective buyers. The luxury condominium development just west of Chicago features open floor plans, private terraces, and extensive green roof areas. Horizontal overhangs on the building’s exterior, designed by Seattle-based Miller Hull and Chicago’s Northworks Architects, nod toward the Prairie School style that’s part of Oak Park’s architectural legacy.

DMA team members are involved in District House as investors. Four distinctive homes are still available in the LEED-certified building. For more information, contact Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty (sales representative Frank Vihtelic) at 312-451-7903 or visit districthouseoakpark.com.

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District House - Model Now Open

Retail Rush at Brazos Mall

Retail Rush at Brazos Mall

March 4th, 2018

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The opening of two new stores at Brazos Mall in Lake Jackson, Texas made the front page of the local paper and attracted lines of shoppers. DMA provided development, project management, and retail tenant delivery services on behalf of owner Centennial Real Estate to facilitate the March 4 openings of T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods. Work involved the transformation and build-out of space previously occupied by a Sears anchor store on the mall’s southeast end.

Brazos Mall, about 50 miles south of Houston, is the only major enclosed regional mall in Brazoria County, Texas. DMA continues to assist ownership with renovation and improvement plans. 

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Shoppers rush to newly opened T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods

Dior Debut

Dior Debut

January 2018

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Dior launched a two-story retail presence in Chicago with a building design inspired by its flagship Paris store and a location in the luxury shopping heart of the city. Situated at the corner of Rush and Walton Streets, the boutique opened in November, in time for the holiday shopping season. Distinctive design features support the Dior brand throughout, from the star that tops the building to the floating silver shelves and plush sofas inside. DMA provided retail tenant delivery expertise that supported project success, coordinating the base building reconfiguration and tenant design and construction work.

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Chicago Gets Its First Christian Dior Boutique

In Vogue

In Vogue

January 5th, 2018

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Brendan Sodikoff’s Hogsalt Hospitality group is curating the 21,000-square-foot food hall coming this fall to the 900 North Michigan Shops in Chicago. The project, expected to feature between 12 and 15 vendors, landed on Vogue’s list of 2018’s “most anticipated American restaurant openings.” Sodikoff’s Chicago-based restaurant group includes Au Cheval, Gilt Bar, and Green Street Smoked Meats.

DMA is providing project management services to support this highly anticipated food hall and continues to manage other renovations and improvements throughout the building.

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2018's Most Anticipated American Restaurant Openings

Congratulations to Martha Spatz

Congratulations to Martha Spatz

January 2018

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DMA co-founder, principal and industry leader Martha Spatz has a new project for the New Year: retirement. We announce this news at DMA with great pride in Martha’s career as an industry leader in retail tenant delivery, with gratitude for all that she has accomplished for DMA and its clients, and with the knowledge that her legacy of expertise will continue within the DMA team.

Martha has been a mentor to many professionals within and outside DMA over her 40-year career. She has helped building owners and tenants launch and sustain successful commercial properties across the U.S. and beyond. Most recently, she oversaw DMA teams on the large-scale mixed-use developments of Assembly Row, outside Boston, and Pike & Rose, in the Washington metro area. Earlier in her career, Martha contributed to the retail success of high-profile places around the nation such as 900 North Michigan, in Chicago, and The Streets at Southpoint, in Durham, North Carolina. Martha has also lent her experience and leadership to industry associations and events, including the International Council of Shopping Centers and its CenterBuild Conference. DMA will continue to benefit from her deep experience with Martha serving as a Senior Advisor for as long as she likes.

No doubt Martha will take on retirement with the same energy she has brought to her many colleagues, clients and projects. We’re confident she’ll outperform all expectations, and we look forward to staying in touch.