The international telecommunications company Motorola once had its headquarters in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. But as times and fortunes change, Motorola found itself drawn back to the heart of Chicago and this site ended up becoming abandoned. However, it looks set to receive a new lease of life in the coming years.
Motorola was founded in 1928 under the name of Galvin Manufacturing Company. It was based at 847 West Harrison Street in Chicago. The company was so successful it went public in 1939, changing its name to Motorola Incorporated in 1947.
Since Motorola Solutions was, legally, the direct successor to the original company, it was this business that retained ownership of the headquarters in Schaumburg. However, sometime after the separation, the business moved to Chicago, so the huge campus was left abandoned.
A decision was made to demolish the campus in 2017 in order to build a multifunctional complex on this site in the future which would include residential and office premises, restaurants, and entertainment venues. After the majority of the campus was demolished in early 2017, the land was divided into several parts which could then be sold on to individual developers. Construction began in 2018. A new road was also built by Plote Construction, Inc. for $10.8 million in the summer of 2019.
UrbanStreet Group and Antunovich Associates set up a joint venture called Veridian which would transform this abandoned site into a thriving urban center. It is anticipated that the first stage of this project will be completed in the fall of 2020.
Interestingly, although Motorola moved its headquarters to Chicago, it will still be one of the anchor tenants in the new complex, housed in the two original buildings that were not demolished. It will spend $83 million in renovating those properties and will retain 1,600 jobs onsite.
Photos of Motorola HQ Illinois
