CHICAGO — The Magnificent Mile got some good news Thursday when the National Confectionery Sales Association said it will open the first Candy Hall of Fame Experience next year at 830 N. Michigan Ave.

The attraction will occupy 60,000 square feet on three floors just across the street from Water Tower Place. It’s one of the biggest leases signed in years at a North Michigan Avenue retail property, a sign that business is picking up in a district hit hard by the pandemic and the rise of online shopping.

Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing company, left its space at 830 N. Michigan Ave. in 2021, while Macy’s and many others abandoned Water Tower Place, leaving much of it dark.

Bright spots have started to appear all along the street, with much of the recovery driven by the Magnificent Mile’s move away from traditional retail outlets in favor of immersive experiences. Many property owners rented out their empty storefronts to experiential tenants such as exhibits on Harry Potter or Prince, or the Museum of Ice Cream in Tribune Tower.

“The Candy Hall of Fame joins a lot of other experiential users coming to Michigan Avenue, but I think it tops them all,” said Scott Goodman, principal of Farpoint Development, an owner of the six-story 830 N. Michigan Ave.

Goodman said he expects the Candy Hall of Fame, which will occupy floors four through six, just above a new two-story Chase/J.P. Morgan banking center in the former Uniqlo space, will attract crowds of tourists, benefiting all other nearby retailers.

“Candy is obviously something that is universally enjoyed, so we think it will be a spectacular addition to this portion of North Michigan Avenue,” he said. “It’s going to generate a lot of traffic on the boulevard.”

The candy association checked out Orlando and New York as possible locations for the Candy Hall of Fame, but Chicago is the historic home of many iconic brands, including Ferrara, Mars, Brach’s, Tootsie and Wrigley, said Jeff Rubin, Hall of Fame CEO and founder of candy store chain IT’SUGAR. That made Chicago an easy choice.

“Chicago is the Silicon Valley of candy and we want to tell that story,” Rubin said. “The more we looked at it, we realized this belonged in Chicago. Chicago will be a homecoming, and in any other city we’d just be another attraction. We owe the city a debt of gratitude for all they’ve given us.”

Candy giant Mars Snacking announced last month that it was investing another $100 million into Chicago, expanding its headquarters, adding new offices and more than 600 jobs.

Rubin assembled a creative team to develop the Candy Hall of Fame, which will open in summer 2027, including designer Janet Planet and Broadway set designer David Korins. Details about its exhibits will be announced as the project takes shape.

“It is important for us that this is not just a traditional museum,” Planet said.

All visitors will be admitted for free to the fourth floor, a 20,000-square-foot retail space, with the Candy Hall of Fame and other ticketed attractions on the upper floors.

“We’re bringing all the candy brands under one roof for the first time,” said Rubin, while the upper floors will pay homage to the inventors of many iconic brands and the millions of workers who made the candy. “This is a chance to make the audience feel like they’re in one of the factories.”

Goodman said Farpoint and its joint venture partner Saxony Properties took a risk when in 2023 they plunked down $40 million for 830 N. Michigan Ave. Memories of the pandemic and worries about crime were still fresh, and the 120,000-square-foot building was vacant. A previous owner paid $166 million for the property in 2013, according to CoStar.

“During the pandemic, (North Michigan Avenue) received a lot of bad press, and that lingers whether it was true or not, but the Magnificent Mile is definitely safe, and the overall outlook for retail has picked up substantially everywhere, but on Michigan Avenue in particular,” Goodman said. “We always knew we were buying one of the premier properties on Michigan Avenue, and even if it took some time, that it would be a good investment.”

Including the Candy Hall of Fame, Chase/J.P. Morgan and other new tenants, the building will soon be 80% leased, he said.

©2026 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.