A Toast to A Great Project

With over 40 years of experience designing industrial distribution centers, Ware Malcomb is no stranger to large-scale, industrial build-to-suit facilities. One of the largest and most notable projects recently completed, was for Wirtz Beverage Illinois, the leading distributor of the world’s top luxury and premium wine and spirits brands. Providing architectural and interior design services, wm | chicago worked alongside Wirtz Realty Group [the newly formed real estate arm of Wirtz Corporation] on this exciting opportunity.

The new 605,000-square-foot Wirtz Beverage Illinois corporate headquarters is located on the former site of a dilapidated racetrack in Cicero, Illinois. The facility merges state-of-the-art offices, conference centers and training facilities with 500,000-square-feet of warehouse space.

The main entrance to the offices is accessed from Laramie Avenue, where guests and employees find themselves welcomed into an appropriately proportioned 2-story lobby complete with a custom reception desk emblazoned with the Wirtz Beverage Illinois logo. The second floor houses an executive reception area leading into the boardroom, executive offices and conference rooms.

One of the most unique features of the project is the mixologist, sommelier and chef designed “Alchemy Room” where training programs and product demonstrations take place. It includes a fully functional, built-in bar with product displays and seating for up to 140 people.

The warehouse portion of the building boasts a 40’ clearance height in half of the warehouse to accommodate the automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). Cooler storage and conventional racking along with conveyors and sorting platforms for truck loading and distribution are just a small sample of the notable features.

For more information on this project, check out our press release or read NAIOP‘s editorial feature in Development Magazine entitled “Reinventing a Former Racetrack.”