15 Apartment Units Unveiled At Once-Abandoned Aurora Warehouse

AURORA, IL — An abandoned warehouse that has sat empty for 34 years in downtown Aurora has been restored to house 15 apartment units.

The upper three floors of an almost-century-old abandoned warehouse at the intersection of Cross and Middle streets officially opened Monday as the Cross and Middle Apartments. The units preserve the historic charm of the building while integrating modern amenities to create a "one-of-a-kind living experience in the heart of Aurora," city officials said.

The 15,000-square-foot building dates back to 1929 and has been shuttered since 1991. Now, it features studio and one-bedroom layouts with in-unit laundry, stainless steel appliances, Juliet balconies, space-saving designs and pet-friendly living.

"We continue with [the] revival of downtown Aurora by adding more new residential opportunities in a building once unimagined as inhabitable," Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said in a statement. "This is the fifth such building in downtown we have reimagined, bringing more than 100 new apartments to the core of our city."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the newly minted units commenced at 10:30 a.m. Monday, with one new tenant being surprised with keys to the first apartment.

Foreign Exchange Brewing Company is set to open later this month on the ground level of the building.