2 years after massive fire, family-owned furniture business in Chicago Heights gets rebuilt
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two years after a massive fire destroyed a south suburban furniture factory, a rebuild that many thought could never happen is nearly complete.
On Feb. 6, 2023, firefighters spent several hours battling a blaze at the Morgan Li furniture factory at 1101 Washington Ave. in Chicago Heights, completely destroying the facility.
It was the biggest fire most people had ever seen, but the owners of Morgan Li said they were determined to rebuild on the ashes of the old site, no matter how long it took.
"In that moment, you just are in absolute shock, and you're just hoping that everyone's okay," Morgan Li CEO Andy Rosenband said.
Morgan Li president Jonathan Rosenband said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the massive fire all the way from the Steel Bridge over the Calumet River, more than 12 miles away.
"As soon as I crossed over the Steel B ridge, I saw it. I couldn't believe it; the amount of smoke, and how black it was," he said.
The Rosenbands said the cause of the fire is still undetermined two years after all of their employees miraculously escaped the blaze.
"We'll never know," Jonathan said.
Within hours of the fire, they were looking towards fire prevention, including a next generation sprinkler system, and discussing how they would bring their third-generation manufacturing business back to Chicago Heights one day.
"We engineer and manufacture retail store fixtures, furniture, and graphics," Andy Rosenband said.
It took the support of the business community, City of Chicago Heights, and Principle Construction to turn the rubble of the turn-of-the-20th-century factory into a futuristic facility that will bring operations under one roof, and help others forge a blueprint for a comeback after facing one of the worst days of their lives.
"The sun rises. So, while it is devastating and often difficult to process, time does heal, and I think it's important to look … to the future and figure out how to move on or to rebuild," Andy Rosenband said.
Principle Construction Jim Brucato said he was awestruck watching the fire on TV when it happened.
"That is one of the biggest fires I've ever seen, and here we are two years later in a state-of-the-art facility," he said.
The Roenbands said the easiest thing would have been to scrap the site of the fire altogether and start fresh somewhere else, but it was important for them to stay in the community that gathered around them in the wake of the fire.
The 276,000-square-foot site should be open for business this May, bringing at least 25 to 30 jobs back to the city Morgan Li has long called home.
"To see this rebirth and this reinvestment, we can't speak enough to how meaningful it is for the city," Chicago Heights city chief of staff Karen Zerante said.
