Developer plans 354 apartments at White Eagle site in Niles

A developer hopes to start soon on a roughly $150 million housing development in Niles that will replace the White Eagle banquet hall, a longtime hub of the area’s Polish community.

Noah Properties plans to build 354 apartments on the 7 acres that includes the former restaurant at 6839 N. Milwaukee Ave. The White Eagle operated in Niles since 1967 and closed earlier this month.

Bart Przyjemski, president of Noah Properties, said he plans to start demolishing the restaurant in January. His goal is to complete a three-phase construction project by late 2027 that includes townhouse clusters and four mid-rise buildings by Chicago’s Jonathan Splitt Architects.

Przyjemski promises a public park, plus tenant amenities such as rooftop terraces and a pool. In a nod to the site’s history, he plans to build about 6,000 square feet along Milwaukee for a restaurant, its ownership and theme to be determined.

A native of Poland and a former Niles resident, Przyjemski has the village’s zoning approval for his plans, but he’s awaiting a decision on his application for a public subsidy. He said he needs help from tax-increment financing, a diversion of property taxes, to move his project forward.

Niles officials have his application for TIF help. Village spokesman Mitch Johnson said an early analysis shows the project “includes a substantial amount of eligible expenses. The public benefits associated with the proposed development are also significant.”

Johnson said an amount of TIF funding is under review, with terms subject to Village Board approval.

Przyjemski said he needs a subsidy to deal with poor soil conditions that require him to install unusually deep foundations. He said the “bad fill to about 26 feet deep” stems from excavation years ago for the Deep Tunnel flood control project. The work was done by the public agency now called the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

He said the demand for apartments in Niles is strong and he hopes to finish the project by late 2027. “The only thing that kills this project is time,” Przyjemski said.

His Schiller Park-based company has a history with Niles, having completed a 180-unit rental project called Novu at 6633 N. Milwaukee, just up the street from the White Eagle. Przyjemski said the complex is 60% leased.

Records show he acquired the White Eagle site early this month for $5.7 million, with a $3.99 million mortgage from California-based Genesis Capital. The development would be among the largest for Noah Properties, ranking with 367 units it built in River Grove.

With a capacity of 1,500 people, the White Eagle was a common stop for family gatherings, political fundraisers and dignitaries. Visitors included former Polish President Lech Walesa, President Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II.

“Polish is still our No. 1 ethnic community,” Niles Mayor George Alpogianis said. “Losing the White Eagle is sad, but we’re trying to take advantage of this to move the village into its next era.”

Alpogianis said the development should prove popular with young families who have been drawn to Niles. He said the town has a range of affordable options in its homes and apartments, so there was no need to require the developer to set aside units at below-market rents, a common requirement in Chicago.

The mayor said the project will improve the Milwaukee Avenue streetscape with landscaping and wider sidewalks, replacing the White Eagle’s long blank wall. The developer has to coordinate with ComEd to bury power lines along the property.

The wall’s cladding is thought to cover a facade for the Silver Leaf Tavern dating from around 100 years ago. The developer is required to see if the facade is salvageable and can be displayed.

The project drew wide support at several public meetings, Alpogianis said, along with concern about traffic congestion on Milwaukee. He said a traffic signal could be added outside the development.

Alpogianis, a restaurateur, said he’s eager to see what kind of establishment succeeds the banquet hall.

“I’ve got a lot of hooks with a lot of people,” he said, while adding that conflicts of interest keep him out of any deal. “That’s not even worth the headache."

His seven restaurants include Kappy’s, an old-school diner, in Morton Grove.