EVANSTON, IL — The new owner of Church Street Plaza has cut a deal with the nation’s largest theater operator to bring movies back to downtown Evanston.
A trampoline park, video gaming facility and a local chain of taco shops are among the other businesses to have recently penned leases with developer GW Properties, according to co-owner Mitch Goltz.
AMC Theaters has leased a dozen screens out of the former Century 12/CinéArts 6, permanently shuttered during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Goltz told Patch it hopes to open its doors to moviegoers as soon as May.
«The theater’s been an integral part of this project and the downtown Evanston landscape for many years and it was a shame when it closed, along with many other businesses that were forced to close during COVID,» Goltz said. «I think the site and the location has been proven to be very successful and we welcome AMC back to this project, as they know they’ll be filling a need in the market and the consumers will be very happy.»
The rest of the space, which was formerly used to screen arthouse films, is set to be converted into a SkyZone indoor trampoline park, according to the developer, which is also its landlord in Vernon Hills and other locations. The Los Angeles-based chain aims to begin welcoming patrons in Evanston this fall.
«They’re best-in-class. They’ll bring a young demographic to downtown Evanston that’s been lacking otherwise,» Goltz said. «It will definitely bring some new bodies and families to the area.»
Goltz said the entire former Buffalo Wild Wings space at 1741 Maple Ave. has been leased to Belong Gaming, a United Kingdom-based company that operates a chain of «esports arenas.» According to its website, it currently has five U.S. locations — three in Texas, one in Tennessee and one in Schaumburg.
Indoor cycling company CycleBar will relocate its space across Church Street to the south to allow for Northwestern University to lease out the rest of the building on the west side of Maple Avenue, Goltz said. It will be joined by Big Wig Tacos, which has leased a portion of the former American Apparel space at 1950 Church St.
Related: Evanston Cinemark Movie Theater Closes After Escaping Lease
Former theater operator Cinemark stopped paying rent and terminated its lease after activating a clause that allowed it to get out of the contract if government officials make it illegal to operate movie theaters.
In January 2021, a judge agreed that Gov. J.B. Pritzker had done so with this March 2020 executive orders. In November 2021, GW purchased the property from San Francisco-based Stockbridge Capital Group.
Stockbridge bought the development for $70 million in 2013, but Cook County property records indicate it sold three parcels of the site for less than $1.7 million in combined transactions.
Related: Rock Climbing Wall Could Join ‘Rightsized’ Evanston Theater
Changes at the site will also include the permanent closure of Terra & Vine at the end of February. Owner and Chef Alpana Singh has previously announced plans to open up an eponymous eatery in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
Singh, the former host of WTTW’s «Check, Please,» said Goltz had offer to partner with her to redevelop the site with a new concept, but it would not be a good fit in light of the plans for her new restaurant in Chicago. She thanked Goltz for being an amazing landlord and Evanston Economic Development Director Paul Zalmezak and Downtown Evanston Executive Director Annie Coakley for their devotion to Evanston and its business community.
«Lastly, I want to thank the residents of Evanston and our customers for letting us be a part of this truly special community. We appreciate every single person who supported us before and during the pandemic to ensure our continued success,» Singh said in a statement. «As my former therapist, who happens to be a resident of Evanston, once told me, endings are one of the hardest things we have to do but we take comfort in knowing that we are leaving having made a lifetime of memories and friends.»
Goltz told Patch the redevelopment plans are well underway, with most of the 200,000 square foot development now leased.
«We’ve been encouraged but not surprised with the amount of interest we’ve had in this project from businesses, as evidenced by the fact we’ve signed over seven deals since we closed on it,» he said. «So we’re eager to fill the rest of the space and get this project to a place that’s hopefully better than it opened.»
