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 hub was previously 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 “huge grand opening” on Nov. 11 for neighbors, Nelson said. Hollywood-style spotlights will beam on neighbors as they arrive, food will be available and residents can tour the healthy hub.
“We want everyone to come out and make it their home,” Nelson said. “It’s going to be the parties of all parties.”
The Healthy Lifestyle Hub won the $10 million Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s Chicago Prize in 2020 and received $4 million from the city’s Invest South/West program.
The four-story hub will include a Mikkey’s Retro Grill, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Illinois, a high-tech kitchen sponsored by the Chicago Bears and a cafe. The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation’s offices will be on the fourth floor.
A Bank of America and UI Healthy Clinic and Urgent Care Center will bring essential services back to the community after the recent departure of several businesses over the last few years.
In the days leading up to the grand opening, “the excitement has been building,” Nelson said. People are walking up to the boarded 18-by-18-foot windows wondering what’s next for the long-abandoned building that’s being transformed, Nelson said.
The Healthy Hub will be one of many investments that will shine a light on the direction Auburn Gresham is going, Nelson said.
“There is a lot of investment that is coming into the community, and I want homeowners to reap the benefits through the evaluation of their homes and more,” Nelson said. “I hope the development will draw attention to young families and prospective homeowners who see it as an up-and-coming opportunity in a neighborhood on the South Side.”
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