AUBURN GRESHAM — Community leaders will celebrate the grand opening of a healthy living center on the South Side with “bells and whistles fit for a Hollywood premiere,” and all neighbors are welcome.
Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will host a grand opening and open house celebration at the Healthy Lifestyle Hub on Friday from 4-7 pm at 839 W. 79th St. The event is free. You can register here.
The community event comes a month after the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, which spearheaded the center, cut the ribbon on the nearly 100-year-old vacant building with city officials. The center won the Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s first $10 million Chicago Prize in 2020.
Last month’s ribbon cutting was a formal meeting, with room for people influential in creating the center for healthy living, said Carlos Nelson, director of the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation.
Friday’s event will be a celebration where neighbors can tour the four floors of the center with music and food.
“The intent of having the grand opening open house is to give the community a well-deserved celebration, one that we know befits a great community that is growing,” said Nelson.
Credit: Atavis Reed/Block Club ChicagoLocal officials and community leaders cut the ribbon on the new Healthy Lifestyle Center on Friday.
Neighbors will have no trouble finding the Healthy Lifestyle Hub on Friday.
Bright, Hollywood-style spotlights will shine through the night, while a red carpet will roll down 79th Street to the lobby, Nelson said.
A saxophonist and pianist will play tunes as guests explore the building, and a live band will take up residence on the fourth floor. Food stations with served tacos, Caribbean food and more will be available in the state-of-the-art kitchen and training center sponsored by a $600,000 donation from the Chicago Bears.
For the first time, neighbors can tour the new businesses and neighborhood essentials the center has brought to their community, Nelson said.
Representatives from Bank of America, one of the center’s tenants, will talk to neighbors about their services downstairs.
On the second floor, neighbors can explore the UI Health Clinic and Urgent Care Center, which will provide medical, dental, mental health support and more to patients.
On the third floor, neighbors can learn more about the Heartland Alliance and the UIC Neighborhood Center, a place that offers mentoring and workshops for small businesses. Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will exhibit its services on the fourth floor.
Neighbors can also meet downtown’s newest tenant, Juiced by Shic.
The vacant downtown cafe space will now be filled by the black-owned business, which is operated by a husband-and-wife duo with roots on the South Side. Juiced by Shic will sell smoothies, salads, soups and wraps, complementing Mikkey’s Retro Grill downtown.
The night will culminate in an “old-school Auburn Gresham house party,” featuring a performance in a heated tent by Auburn Gresham native DJ Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, Nelson said.
“After years of divestment, to see the building repurposed with purpose is quite impressive,” said Nelson. “It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m excited. This is what I’ve been waiting for, to reveal this to the community.”
Credit: Greater Auburn Gresham Development CorporationA list of tenants that will occupy the new Healthy Lifestyle Hub.
Credit: Greater Auburn Gresham Development CorporationGreater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will host a grand opening celebration for the Healthy Lifestyle Hub on Friday.
When the lights go out and the red carpet is rolled out, the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will be back to work, Nelson said.
The next goal is to raise enough funds to open a Women’s Health Center downtown, Nelson said.
One day, women from the community will visit the 4,000-square-foot center for prenatal and postnatal care and “have a safe place for their physical and mental health,” Nelson said.
The South Side group also wants to activate a closed CVS building across the street from downtown and use the parking lot for parking spaces, Nelson said.
For now, it’s one step at a time, Nelson said.
“The community deserves this,” Nelson said. “They deserve something as wonderful as what we are going to give them.”
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