New owner hopes to find tenants for Lero building in Jefferson Park; its storefronts have been unoccupied for decades

by BRIAN NADIG

For this first time in about 30 years the storefronts in the two-story Lero building at 4762-64 N. Milwaukee Ave. could become activated with commercial tenants on the ground floor.

Developer Tim Pomaville of Ambrosia Homes said that he recently purchased the 109-year-old building and has been cleaning up the site in preparation of finding tenants.

“We are hoping to get something really cool there (and generate) foot traffic” for the business district, said Pomaville, who also is redeveloping the former Jefferson Park firehouse at 4841 N. Lipps Ave.

The Lero building, which is named after a previous owner, features a bow truss roof. The structural style was more common in the early 1900s and includes an arched beam above with a straight beam below.

Converting the building’s second floor to residential use is a possibility, Pomaville said. Under the property’s B3-2 zoning, up to four apartments would be allowed.

Since the early 1990s, the building has been vacant except in the mid-2000s when a manufacturer/woodworker was operating on the second floor until the city shut down the business due to licensing and permitting issues. The first and second floors each measure about 5,100 square feet, and there is a basement, plus parking for about six cars in the rear of the property.

At one time the city Department of Planning and Development considered condemning the building and acquiring it through eminent domain but backed off on the plan. The property is located along a stretch of Milwaukee in Jefferson Park where several buildings have been vacant for decades. An all-too-common complaint from prospective business owners in Jefferson Park is that landlords or their representatives did not respond when an inquiry about leasing their building was made.

Over the years the Lero building has had a variety of occupants, according to Northwest Chicago Historical Society researcher Frank Suerth.

Tenants included the Jefferson Park Boxing Club in 1928, Royal Furniture Mart from 1957-62, Goodwill Industries from 1962-63, Discount Town in 1970, Tashman Textiles from 1970-73, a hardware store from 1975-80, Craft House Furniture in 1981, a sports equipment store in 1982 and a campaign office for Cook County Assessor and one-time mayoral candidate Thomas Hynes in 1987, Suerth said.

In recent years the storefront windows were painted with artwork promoting the Chicago Fringe Festival, which was held in Jefferson Park from 2013 to 2018.

Meanwhile, Pomaville said that he hopes to start construction on the firehouse project later this summer. Plans call for a third-floor addition to the 117-year-old firehouse, with eight apartments on the upper floors and commercial space on the ground floor.

A permit for the construction has not been issued, but some structural issues related to the addition appear to have been worked out, Pomaville said.

Ambrosia Homes also is constructing a four-unit residential building, with a rear deck and a patio, at 4015 N. Pulaski Road in the Old Irving Park area.