RDC Repositions Lord+Taylor Department Store Into a Mixed Use Destination at Oakbrook Center

RDC repositioned the Lord + Taylor department store building located within the Oakbrook Center near Chicago. Originally constructed in the 1960s, the 120,000 SF three-story building was positioned to be visible to the heavily trafficked roads that bordered the property. RDC reimagined the interior space to accommodate retail, food & beverage, and entertainment uses, and necessary improvements of common corridors, vertical circulation elements, and utility/service upgrades to upgrade the structure.

The original exterior walls were removed to make way for a refreshed look. Parking lot and public road facades employ larger massing expressions while areas nearer to, and within the mall become warmer and more tactile in response to human scale. Planting wells and planter boxes further soften the edge between the building and parking and provide seasonal visual interest to this adaptive reuse project.