Footman Hospitality Aims to Expand Its Portfolio to the Palmer Square Area

According to a recent article from Block Club Chicago , Footman Hospitality took over the building at 2343-2347 N. Milwaukee Ave. last year and plans to renovate the interior for a bar or tavern.

A representative of Footman Hospitality was not immediately available for commentary upon What Now Chicago’s request.

While an official opening date or a name for the new concept has yet to be confirmed, according to the article, “Footman Hospitality founder Jason Freiman owns the building and said his team is working on bringing it “back to life. The property is over 12,000 square feet and will likely have multiple tenants, one of which would be a hospitality concept and wouldn’t open until 2025.”

“It has sat vacant for over 25 years and has been on the market since at least 2017, according to property records and the building’s listing. From the mid-’70s to the late ’90s, the building was home to Architectural Objects, a household metal furniture manufacturer, Freiman said. After Architectural Objects closed, the owners kept the building in the family until Freiman bought it in 2023.”

“There is a significant amount of improvement needed to bring the building up to code,” Freiman said in the Block Club Chicago article. “The Footman Hospitality team hopes to bring at least one restaurant or bar into the building, which will join a slew of others on the same block.”

“The group is seeking liquor tavern and public place of amusement licenses, the latter of which is required to produce any live event or entertainment like karaoke, music, movies, or comedy shows, or for a nightclub or concert hall.”

“The group is also behind Emporium arcade bar on the same block as the terracotta building, and also operates Spilt Milk, Bangers & Lace, Quality Time, and Bucktown Pub in the area.”

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