The operator of an upscale event venue on Chicago’s southwest side is looking to open a second location in Glenview.
The Geraghty, proposed for the five-acre site of a vacant office building at 2100 Sanders Road, south of I-294, will host conventions, exhibitions, weddings, and “high end” corporate and social events, said businessman and event designer Tom Kehoe, the applicant for the project.
Kehoe currently operates the Geraghty at 2520 S. Hoyne Ave. in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. The luxury venue opened in 2015.
The Glenview Village Board on March 19 granted final approval of an ordinance allowing the second Geraghty location to be developed. Plans call for demolishing the three-story former office building on the site and constructing a single-story, 30-foot-tall building containing approximately 26,000 square feet of event space, according to information shared by the village.
The venue will have a maximum capacity of 540 people and the developer will also create an outdoor garden for guests, the proposed plans show.
“The Geraghty is poised to become a vibrant hub for celebration, connection and community growth,” an application presented to the village stated.
Earlier designs called for a two-story venue, but when the proposal initially appeared before the Glenview Village Board on Feb. 17, the second floor had been removed.
Kehoe said the venue will hold an average of two events per week, each generating about 200 to 250 visitors. Some events may include gatherings and live music in the outdoor garden space, adjacent to the Cook County Forest Preserve, Kehoe said.
Extensive landscaping, including trees, will be added to the exterior of the property, Kehoe said.
“My whole point is, I don’t want you to see the building,” he said. “I want guests to arrive and feel like they are entering the botanic gardens.”
While a number of nearby residents of unincorporated Cook County raised objections to the proposed development of a light industrial park just north of 2100 Sanders, no such concerns for the event venue project were expressed during public meetings.
“This project proves it’s possible to creatively reimagine old office buildings and build a new space,” said Karen Jump, a resident of the Mission Hills neighborhood.
Glenview Trustee Gina DeBoni said the project is a positive one for the community.
“I think the property makes Glenview better,” she said. “I think it does probably increase the values of the homes around it and it’s an amenity to our community and to surrounding communities.”
