Located along Elston Avenue, it’s impossible to miss the Morton Salt facility on the stretch of industrial road between the Chicago River and Kennedy Expressway. Brandished with big, bold letters stretching across the rooftop and the trademark Morton Salt girl adorned in yellow, the building is almost as iconic as the Willis Tower.

Late last year the building at 1329 N. Elston Ave. was sold to developer R2, who has plans to take advantage of the North Branch Corridor Modernization plan that was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission this summer. R2 has made its imprint on the North Branch Corridor and Goose Island area, snatching up 10 acres on the manmade island. R2 Companies is now planning a $20 million makeover for the old Morton Salt building. (The company ended its operations in the building in 2015.) 

Rendering courtesy of the "Salt District"

The warehouse will be repurposed as office spaces in addition to a hospitality, and entertainment complex called the “Salt District.” Chicago Curbed reported that R2 has tossed around the idea of having a culinary focus with an indoor market, event space, and potentially a cooking school. Because of the location along the Chicago River, R2 also plans to include a two-acre park and riverwalk, new boat launches, and a water taxi stop.

The mixed-use space will still be home to Morton, according to Curbed. The company is slated to lease a 20,000-square-foot research and development facility within the 4.25-acre property, and it’s expected to be open by 2020.

Construction on the building will start soon if all goes as planned, and officials say other office tenants could be ready to move in by the end of this year.

R2 purchased the property for $15 million in December 2017, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. R2 Managing Principal, Matt Garrison said that the plans for the facility are unique compared with what is already available in the market. 

“It is the most recognizable building in the North Branch Corridor, with unique attributes including dramatic 50 foot ceiling heights, column free space and over 500 linear feet of Chicago River frontage,” Garrison said in a press release. “Thousands of good jobs have already been created on Goose Island, and this project will be a catalyst for even more economic development as we work with the City of Chicago to take it to the next level.”

According to Morton Salt Chief Marketing Officer Denise Lauer, the company had plans to sell the property, but didn’t want to give up the signage that thousands of drivers see each day on I-94. The company targeted buyers like R2 that would be interested in redeveloping the property without losing its identity. Morton Salt will house about 20 of its employees at the research and development space once it’s open.