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.

Australia-based Guzman y Gomez, a Mexican food fast-casual restaurant chain, expanded into the American market in 2020 when it opened its first location in Naperville. (HR Green Inc.)

Guzman y Gomez abruptly shuts its Naperville restaurant, seven others in Chicago area

May 22, 2026 at 9:11 p.m.

Australian restaurant chain Guzman y Gomez’s ended its American market venture by closing its Naperville store and seven others.

Exterior of the now-closed Guzman y Gomez, 1710 Sherman Ave. in Evanston, on May 22, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Australian burrito chain Guzman y Gomez abruptly shutters all Chicago-area locations

May 22, 2026 at 4:15 p.m.

Australian restaurant chain Guzman y Gomez’s attempt to build a burrito empire in the Chicago area came to an abrupt halt Friday when the company closed all eight locations, including...

A computer room inside Digital Realty’s CH1 data center building on May 21, 2026, in Elk Grove Village. The room contains customer servers in an environmentally controlled room. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Elk Grove Village mayor defends data centers at packed community hearing

May 21, 2026 at 6:11 p.m.

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson delivered a sharp defense of data centers at a packed community meeting on Wednesday, responding to questions from residents worried that massive new facilities...

The food court sits empty in the Ford City Mall on May 6, 2026, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Ford City Mall to shut down over safety concerns, ending 60-year run on the Southwest Side

May 15, 2026 at 7:50 p.m.

Chicago's iconic Ford City Mall will shut down permanently in about five weeks due to what city attorneys have described as unsafe conditions, ending its more than 60-year run as...

Builders broke ground Friday in West Town near the former Lincoln Yards site on what will become the city’s only Cadillac dealership. (Jack Carter Automotive Group)

Chicago’s only Cadillac dealership breaks ground at former Lincoln Yards site

May 15, 2026 at 2:05 p.m.

Builders broke ground Friday in West Town near the former Lincoln Yards site on what will become the city’s only Cadillac dealership.

Emanuel Congregation has reworked its proposal for a new apartment development along the lakefront. The new proposal includes a passageway that would traverse underneath the entire site, providing pedestrians along Sheridan Road with views of and access to Lake Michigan. (Eckenhoff Saunders Architects)

North Side synagogue unveils updated proposal for a new Edgewater apartment complex

May 5, 2026 at 12:05 p.m.

Emanuel Congregation has reworked its proposal for a new apartment development along the lakefront after listening to concerns from neighboring residents.

The eight-story Water Tower Place will be replaced by a three-story retail center with small shops, flagship stores and a collection of new restaurants, according to a statement by its owner. (Neumann/Smith)

Water Tower Place to get $170 million makeover, accelerating the Magnificent Mile’s recovery

April 27, 2026 at 5:57 p.m.

The 813,000-square-foot mall, long the retail anchor of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, fell on hard times after getting hit by the rise of online retail and then the pandemic.

Chicago and U.S. flags are planted on the grass across the street from Soldier Field on April 23, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

University of Chicago student contest tackles the city’s sports stadium funding debate

April 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Nearly 100 graduate students on 16 teams at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and its Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation brainstormed throughout the school year on...

A woman passes a fountain inside the Ford City Mall in Chicago on April 16, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Ford City Mall restores broken fire suppression system and gets temporary reprieve from a shutdown

April 24, 2026 at 4:24 p.m.

A Cook County judge agreed to postpone until May 15 a hearing originally set for Thursday, when the judge could have ordered the giant indoor mall’s immediate closure due to...

People view photographic prints displayed in the gallery space at the new Leica Store & Gallery Chicago at 800 N. Michigan Ave., during a photo exhibit reception April 16, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Luxury camera store coming to Magnificent Mile, aims to be ‘community center’ for artists

April 21, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

German luxury camera brand Leica will open later this month a multistory store and gallery on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile across from the historic Water Tower.

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