A ribbon cutting marked the official celebration of the entire dining and entertainment district known as Block 59 at the corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue.
“It’s just the culmination of so much hard work and effort,” said Mayor Scott Wehrli. “There’s been a lot of construction over the past year and we’ve been cutting ribbons at these restaurants as they’ve opened and now to cut the ribbon officially for the entire development, [it’s] just a really exciting time to celebrate.”
The event also included live music and family-friendly activities like balloon sculpting and face painting.
“Being out here, seeing the community enjoy the space that’s really special,” said Richard Dippolito, Vice President of Re-Development of Brixmor Property Group. “It really makes it worthwhile for what we do as a company.”
A ‘transformational’ project
Demolition of vacant buildings in what would become Block 59 started in June of 2024. Over the course of the next year, ten new restaurants and a spa would open, with Shake Shack, The Cheesecake Factory, and Stan’s Donuts, being the first three of those businesses.
Dippolito says the project has been nothing short of transformational.
“We were just a simple big box shopping center before with a big parking lot. There really wasn’t a lot of character to it,” said Dippolito. “To have something like this, where we have a lawn and we have a lot of really nice restaurants, it’s really fantastic to see.”
What’s to come
And even more is coming, including Dumont Creamery and Cafe, plus five additional businesses still under wraps at the moment.
In the meantime, Dippolito says special events to draw patrons to the space are planned for the summer, including a Thursday evening concert series known as “Rock the Block.” Other events on the calendar include fitness classes on the green, storytime with the Naperville Public Library, a reptile show, foam party, and more.
“We want people to come here not just to shop or to just come here to eat. We want them to come here and be able to enjoy being together,” said Dippolito.
The ribbon cutting marks a new chapter along Route 59. When all is said and done, Block 59 will be home to 20 businesses.
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