Brian J. Rogal

Brian J. Rogal is a lifelong Chicagoan if you count a childhood spent in the suburbs. The Bucktown resident is a graduate of DePaul University and then spent several years as an investigative reporter with The Chicago Reporter, mostly writing about the CHA’s transformation. He has covered commercial real estate full-time since 2013.

A rendering of Metropolis Pointe, which would include nearly 600 apartments and about 30 condos at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 26th Street. (Griffin Venture Group, LLC and Wight & Company)

Developers unveil proposal for massive new Bronzeville community

December 12, 2025 at 2:58 p.m.

Metropolis Pointe would provide nearly 600 apartments and about 30 condos at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 26th Street.

Shoppers walk past Mango which opened a new store at 664 N. Michigan Ave. on Dec. 10, 2025, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

International fashion boutique Mango opens 2-story location on Magnificent Mile

December 10, 2025 at 1:24 p.m.

International fashion boutique Mango opened an eagerly anticipated two-story location on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Shoppers crowd North Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

In search of Black Friday deals, shoppers hit Chicago streets despite chilly temperatures, inflation worries

November 28, 2025 at 5:22 p.m.

Despite concerns about inflation, shoppers turned out en masse for a day of shopping that, for some, is just as much about finding good deals as it is holiday traditions...

Buildings from 2302 to 2316 North Sheffield Avenue in Chicago, on Nov. 10, 2023. DePaul is proposing to tear down five buildings on its campus to make way for a state-of-the-art basketball facility. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Plan Commission approves DePaul’s controversial plan for Lincoln Park athletic facility

November 20, 2025 at 7:21 p.m.

University officials told commission members DePaul’s lack of modern practice courts makes it hard to compete for athletic talent with schools in the Big East Conference.

Guests watch and photograph the final beam being lifted into place on Nov. 17, 2025, as the Austin HOPE Center on West Chicago Avenue marks a construction milestone. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

A $22 million pediatric health care facility taking shape in Austin neighborhood will address unmet needs

November 17, 2025 at 5:57 p.m.

Builders plan to complete the 25,000-square-foot Austin HOPE Center by late summer 2026.

Customers check out pastries at Léa French Café on Michigan Avenue in the Loop on Nov. 5, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Scrappy entrepreneurs are setting up cafes, coffee bars and stores in the Loop. ‘A recovery has started.’

November 10, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

More than 30 restaurants, coffee bars and stores will have opened by the end of the year, according to the Chicago Loop Alliance.

Brown Bag Seafood restaurant owner Donna Lee, right, calls out orders as they come in at the restaurant on East Randolph Street in Chicago, May 8, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Loop businesses uneasy about possible National Guard deployment: ‘It does have a chilling effect on business’

October 24, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Downtown restaurants say they've already seen lower foot traffic and instances of staff not showing up to work.

A warehouse along South 25th Avenue and Lexington Street is for lease on Oct. 7, 2025. The building is located one block east of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

ICE wants to buy more buildings in Chicago, and appears to be eyeing a Broadview warehouse

October 10, 2025 at 5:47 p.m.

The warehouse is one block east of the existing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at 1930 S. Beach St.

In 2020, Walgreens was announced as a tenant in the lobby of the Old Post Office building at 433 W. Van Buren St. in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Walgreens to exit Chicago’s Old Post Office building

October 7, 2025 at 10:34 a.m.

Walgreens plans to exit its space at Chicago's Old Post Office, though it will keep its headquarters in Deerfield, the company confirmed Monday.

Jeremy O'Brien, of PsiQuantum, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park at Lake Michigan south of East 87th Street in Chicago on Sept. 30, 2025. Gov. JB Pritzker, right, attended. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Work begins on South Side’s massive new quantum computing hub

September 30, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker and others presided on Tuesday over the groundbreaking ceremony.

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