“Leaders at the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce are converting a dilapidated historical lodge into a ‘reimagined’ community hub.

“The organization is in the early stages of transforming the South Side Swedish Lodge, a nearly century-old building that once welcomed Swedish settlers to Chicago, into The Emerald, a $10 million community gathering space and clean energy training site.

“The Emerald will bring the vacant building at 6855 S. Emerald Ave. ‘back to its former glory,’ said Felicia Slaton-Young, executive director at the Englewood Chamber. Englewood’s E.G. Woode is a co-developer of the project.

“The chamber’s vision for the 52,000-square-foot building includes a grand ballroom with sparkling chandeliers and a stage that can host proms, conventions and staged plays saved for Broadway, Slaton-Young said.

“The first floor of the building could house a food hall, pop-up storefronts for aspiring entrepreneurs and a senior center. The third floor, complete with a small stage and kitchen, can become a teen center where local youth ‘socialize safely,’ Slaton-Young said.

“The lodge’s 15,000-square-foot basement can become a job training site for neighbors interested in the clean energy sector and students at the nearby Englewood STEM High School to apply their classroom-learned skills in the real world.

“This is an opportunity to leave a legacy of taking an existing piece of real estate and having the community come along with us to reimagine it,’ Slaton-Young said. ‘We want to do that until we have grown a commercial corridor that positively reflects the desires of the community and the vision elected officials have for how they hope to bring income back into the community.’

“The chamber was searching for vacant land to build an innovation hub when a realtor suggested they view a lot on South Emerald Avenue, Slaton-Young said. The lot was nearly perfect in size, but the realtor informed Slaton-Young its purchase would come with a bonus: the former Swedish Lodge across the street. The lot and the building were a package deal.

“Constructed in 1926, the building had fallen in disrepair over the decades, but under the black mold-spotted ceilings, carpeted floors and rusted walls was “a very solid building with so much potential,” Slaton-Young said.

“Englewood’s South Side Swedish Lodge was once one of a few dozen lodges in the U.S. where members of the Independent Order of Vikings could find community after immigrating from Sweden and establishing roots.

“Total costs are estimated at $10 million to complete The Emerald, Slaton-Young said. The project has already been allocated about $3.4 million in state funding to begin work on the clean energy training space.” (Reed, Block Club Chicago, 6/10/25)

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• Englewood’s Historical Swedish Lodge To Be Restored To ‘Former Glory’ As Community Hub; The $10 million project led by the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce will transform the century-old building, once home to Swedish settlers, into The Emerald, Atavia Reed, Block Club Chicago, 6/10/25
• Plans Revealed For The Emerald In Englewood, Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 6/26/25