Anyone with doubts about gut-renovating downtown Waukegan buildings into luxury apartments should talk to developer Mikki Schuk.
Schuk, the president of Real Invest, Inc., was in the process of turning the second and third floors of an older downtown building into three luxury apartments, calculating if he advertised online Aug. 1 he could rent them for Oct. 1 and finish the work by then.
“I advertised on Zillow and Facebook,” Schuk said Thursday. “I rented them in one week. I had to get them ready for Sept. 1. I finished them yesterday.”
Schuk cut a ribbon Thursday at the ground-floor entrance of the building near the corner of Washington and Genesee streets in Waukegan, welcoming guests including other business operators in the area in adding to his collection of downtown luxury apartments.
With space on the ground floor planned for future retail development to be completed next year, there are two apartments on the second floor and one on the third. Schuk said they are all one-bedroom units.
The two on the second floor rent for $1,700 a month. One facing Washington Street is 500 square feet, and the other in the rear is 600 square feet. The third floor contains a 1,000-square-foot apartment renting for $2,400 monthly.
With no small grocery store downtown, Schuk said he envisions one on the ground floor which will also sell sandwiches and other prepared foods. He renovated four units into luxury rentals on Genesee south of Washington Street last year. They are all rented.
“You can’t find something like these for this price in Lake Forest or Highland Park,” Schuk said. “There’s a vibe downtown here. You have the lake and the train. Waukegan has the feel of a city. Those other places are like villages.”
Two of the residents moving into the building agree with Schuk’s assessment of downtown Waukegan. One, Tyler Williams, is a Waukegan native and another, Marco Cruz, is moving from Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.
A sound engineer and song writer, Cruz said he gets a lot of what he likes living in Chicago for a better price. Though the building is old, the apartment feels new with modern amenities.
“It’s up and coming,” Cruz said. “It reminds you of downtown Chicago, but it is quieter. The lake is not too far away, and the train is right there. I like the high ceilings, and it has a huge living room.”
A 2014 graduate of Waukegan High School, Williams said he works in downtown Waukegan and his commute to work is now walking a few blocks. Like Schuk, he also senses a vibe.
“I sense the energy downtown,” Williams said. “It’s close to the lake, and I can walk to the harbor. It’s close to the Metra station. Now I can take the train to Cubs games and Bulls games. I used to drive.”
Along with renovating the second and third floors into luxury apartments, Schuk made a special effort to redo the facade. He said rather than the ordinary look it had with small windows and little glass, he wanted something fitting an urban scene.
“People called this ‘the ugly building,'” Schuk said before cutting the ribbon. “They wanted to know what I was going to do with it. It’s not the ugly building anymore,” he added, referring to an entrance with sculptures and the year 2023 in Roman numerals.
A part-owner of the nearly century-old Waukegan Building at the southwest corner of Genesee and Washington, Schuk said demonstrating to investors and lenders that people will pay the rent he is receiving will be a gateway for that building and more.
Former Mayor Sam Cunningham, who was at the ribbon cutting Thursday, said people like Schuk understand bringing individuals to downtown Waukegan will send a message to businesses there is potential.
“This is what vision is all about,” Cunningham said. “This is the vision of someone who saw a future and made something happen.”
