Grealy’s Pub to become real estate office
by BRIAN NADIG
The former Grealy’s Pub and Grill, 5001 W. Lawrence Ave., is being converted into a real estate office and the number of apartments on the upper two floors would be reduced to one residential unit under a zoning proposal.
Alderman John Arena’s chief of staff Owen Brugh said that several restaurant operators considered opening a business on the property but that none of them submitted formal plans. Grealy’s had closed several years ago, and all three floors have been unoccupied, Brugh said.
The new owner plans to remodel the ground floor and relocate his real estate business there, Brugh said. A construction permit for the work was issued in January.
The owner also plans to de-convert the apartments and create a two-story living unit on the second and third floors for his family, Brugh said. The Cook County Assessor’s office lists the building as currently having three apartments.
The remodeling calls for a slight increase in the building’s height to 39 feet, which is higher than the 38-foot maximum allowed under the property’s B3-1 zoning, Brugh said. The owner is planning to have the property rezoned to B3-2 to accommodate the new height, he said.
The approximately 105-year-old masonry building is located on a 3,125-square-foot parcel at the southwest corner of Lawrence and Lavergne avenues, across from Thuis Playlot Park, 4759 N. Lavergne Ave. A detached garage is located in the rear of the parcel.
Arena held a community meeting on the project on March 22 at the Eden United Church of Christ, 5051 W. Gunnison St.
