LOSS: Brick 2-Flat at 3440 N. Avers Avenue in Avondale Demolished
"A permit was issued late last week to remove a two-story residence along with a detached frame garage, located at 3440 N Avers Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood. The permit’s owner has been listed as 2315 N Kenneth LLC.
"All Concrete Chicago Inc is serving as the demolition contractor. No...
LOSS: After 49 Years, Beloved Lincoln Park Cycle Smithy To Close In September
"Cycle Smithy has been helping Chicagoans find the perfect bike for 49 years — but the shop will close in September.
"Owner Mark Mattei, 71, said it’s time for him to retire. He’ll let the lease run out on the business, 2468 1/2 N. Clark St. In the meantime, everything’s...
LOSS: Beloved Dinkel’s Sign Sold For $6k to Unknown Buyer
"The neon Dinkel’s sign that hung outside the century-old bakery, which closed for good last month, is being auctioned off.
"The vertical neon sign was listed on AuctionZip with a starting bid of $5,000, according to its posting. Currently with no bids, the auction is set to close at noon...
LOSS: Antioch Missionary Baptist Demolished Following Massive Good Friday Fire
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 1890, Bell and Swift, 6248 S. Stewart Ave. Photo Credit: Adam L. Stanley
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Englewood, gutted by a large fire on Good Friday, still stands on April 19, 2022. Built 1890, Bell and Swift, 6248 S. Stewart Ave. Photo Credit: Colin Boyle...
LOSS: ‘Spotlight on Demolition’ May 2022
4155 S. Packers Avenue, Stockyards
Roy Boyd Gallery, 739 N. Wells St., River North
1757 W. Superior Street, West Town
2834 S. Normal Avenue, Bridgeport
4301 S. State Street, Bronzeville
5254 N. Wayne Ave, Lakewood-Balmoral
2913 W. Belmont Avenue, Avondale
8624 S. Hermitage Avenue, Auburn Gresham
2126 W. Giddings...
LOSS: Ornate Reebie Company Warehouse Building Façade To Be Demolished
"The Community Development Commission has approved $10 million in TIF funding for Timeline Theatre. Currently located in a church building in Lakeview East, the company is looking to build a new theater in an existing warehouse building at 5033 N. Broadway in Uptown. Located just north of W. Argyle...
LOSS: Demolition Underway For 4155 S. Packers Industrial Building
"A demolition permit has been issued for the removal of an eight-story masonry building located at 4155 S Packers Avenue in the New City neighborhood. The permit’s owner has been listed as JEHM Financial LLC.
"Taylor Excavating and Construction is serving as the demolition contractor on this project. There is...
LOSS: Demolition of Cassidy Tire / Tyler & Hippach Mirror Company Factory Underway (Chicago 7 2021)
One last photo of Cassidy Tire before demolition. Built as the Tyler & Hippach Mirror Company Factory (Henry J. Schlacks, 1902). Soon to be another highrise, which is fine but I wish they had found a way to incorporate this fine building. Image Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
Cassidy Tire stands...
LOSS: A Few Months Before Adaptive Reuse as Pool Hall, Smashy Garage Demolished After Fire
During demolition, Smashy Garage / Argyle-Clark Garage / Originally the Fred Heyden branch of the Chicago Motor Car Company, 1919, Hall & Ostergren 5006 N. Clark St. Burned 4/26/22. Photo Credit: Adam Natenshon / Preservation Chicago
Smashy Garage / Argyle-Clark Garage / Originally the Fred Heyden branch of the Chicago...
LOSS: Antioch Missionary Baptist Demolished Following Massive Good Friday Fire
"The walls are still being brought down at the old Antioch Baptist Church in Englewood after a fire last month, but that does not mean the fight to preserve its legacy is waning.
"When Ward Miller with Preservation Chicago thinks about iconic city and Englewood architecture, he said this is...
LOSS: ‘Spotlight on Demolition’ April 2022
Antioch Baptist Church, 6248 S. Stewart Ave., Englewood
Smashy Garage, 5006 N. Clark St., Uptown
Cassidy Tire, 344 N. Canal St., West Loop
4155 S. Packers Avenue, Stockyards
4311 N. Greenview Avenue, Sheridan Park
2117 N. Fremont Street, DePaul
855 N. Paulina Street, East Village
9227 S. Cottage...
LOSS: Demolition Permits Issued For 4155 S. Packers Industrial Building
"A demolition permit has been issued for the removal of an eight-story masonry building located at 4155 S Packers Avenue in the New City neighborhood. The permit’s owner has been listed as JEHM Financial LLC.
"Taylor Excavating and Construction is serving as the demolition contractor on this project. There is...
LOSS: After 115 Years, Gepperth’s Meat Market in Lincoln Park Permanently Closed
"Gepperth’s Meat Market, a Lincoln Park mainstay since 1906, closed on Saturday, April 30. The venerable butcher was known for prime cuts of beef, chicken, and pork, plus a stellar selection of jerky.
"Owner Vincent Colombet says they made a decision at the end of 2021 that it would take...
LOSS: Beloved Dinkel’s Bakery to Close After 100 Years In Business
"Dinkel’s Bakery, one of the most iconic bakeries in Chicago, is closing April 30 after more than 100 years on the North Side.
"The bakery, at 3329 N. Lincoln Ave. on the border of Lakeview and Roscoe Village, opened in 1922 under Joseph and Antonie Dinkel. It’s been run by...
LOSS: Art Deco Orange Garden Neon Sign Removed After Sale
"The owners of Orange Garden Chinese Restaurant are selling the 90-year-old business after auctioning its iconic neon 'Chop Suey' sign, hoping to find a buyer to preserve the eatery specializing in Cantonese fare.
"A relic of pre-war Chicago dating at least to the early 1930s, the Orange Garden sign was...
LOSS: Demolition of Cassidy Tire / Tyler & Hippach Mirror Company Factory Has Begun (Chicago 7 2021)
One last photo of Cassidy Tire before demolition. Built as the Tyler & Hippach Mirror Company Factory (Henry J. Schlacks, 1902). Soon to be another highrise, which is fine but I wish they had found a way to incorporate this fine building. Image Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
LOSS: Loss of Chicago’s two-, three- and four-flats Reduces Affordable Housing
"Already disappearing before COVID-19, Chicago’s two-, three- and four-flats, long seen as sources of affordable homeownership and rental opportunities, may emerge from the pandemic with an identity crisis.
"The uncertainty of the past two years could alter some of the signature benefits for renters as landlords change their management style...
LOSS: ‘Spotlight on Demolition’ March 2022
Cenacle Sisters Building, 513 W. Fullerton Parkway, Lincoln Park
3040 N. Lawrence Avenue, Albany Park
Women's Treatment Center, 140 N. Ashland Ave, West Loop
3318 W. Montrose Avenue, Albany Park
2018 & 2022 W. Webster Ave., Bucktown
3600 N. Paulina Street, Englewood
1532 S. Trumbull Ave, North Lawndale
...
LOSS: Beloved Dinkel’s Bakery to Close After 100 Years In Business
"Dinkel’s Bakery, one of the most iconic bakeries in Chicago, is closing April 30 after more than 100 years on the North Side.
"The bakery, at 3329 N. Lincoln Ave. on the border of Lakeview and Roscoe Village, opened in 1922 under Joseph and Antonie Dinkel. It’s been run by...
LOSS: Final hours for the John Ramcke House at 2028 N. Seminary
John Ramcke House, 2028 N. Seminary. Built 1888. Demolished April 2022. Image Credit: Tweet by @Fynmere
"Over the years, the Lincoln Park neighborhood has seen many fights over historic preservation. They have pitted neighbor against neighbor and produced uneasy compromises to protect limited stretches while leaving most patches open...
LOSS: Built in 1860 Before the Great Chicago Fire, Developers Demolish 116 N. Willard Court
"An Italianate home in the West Loop, built about a decade before the Great Chicago Fire, is headed for demolition, likely to be replaced by condos.
"The three-story Italianate building at 116 N. Willard Court was built around 1860, according to the Cook County Assessor. The October 1871 fire stopped...
LOSS: Edgewater’s Motor Row McNitt Building Demolished for Future Development
"Edgewater neighbors and preservationists are trying to halt Howard Brown Health’s planned demolition of a 100-year-old former auto garage on Broadway, asking the health group to reuse the historical building in its future plans for the site.
"Howard Brown last week received a demolition permit for the building at 5650-56...
LOSS: Built in 1860 Before the Great Chicago Fire, Developers Demolish 116 N. Willard Court
"An Italianate home in the West Loop, built about a decade before the Great Chicago Fire, is headed for demolition, likely to be replaced by condos.
"The three-story Italianate building at 116 N. Willard Court was built around 1860, according to the Cook County Assessor. The October 1871 fire stopped...
THREATENED: Despite Nearly 2,000 Petition Signatures to Save It, Demolition Looming for Lake View State Bank
"3179 N Clark St on the corner of Belmont and Clark in Lake View is currently threatened to be demolished. This historic bank building was originally the Lake View State Bank and later the Belmont National Bank. This bank building has been in our community since its completion in...
LOSS: After Three Years, High-Rise Proposed at Site of Demolished D.H. Burnham Building
"More West Loop residential development could be on the horizon. DAC Developments submitted a zoning application to build a 19-story, 207-foot residential tower with 288 apartments at 1217 W. Washington Boulevard.
The proposed building replaces a vacant lot currently owned by Peppercorn Capital, which also owns the historic three-story Schukraft...
LOSS: Stop-Work Order Issued After Decorative Terra Cotta Ornament Stripped Without Permit from New Devon Theater Façade
"The city has halted work on a historically protected building in Rogers Park after its new owner improperly removed a terra cotta bust and other features from its façade.
"Two stop-work orders have been issued to the owner of 1618 W. Devon Ave., a former movie house built in 1912....
LOSS: Despite Being a Designated Chicago Landmark District, Rambler Building on Motor Row Demolished After Extreme Neglect
Prior to its emergency demolition, the Rambler Automobile Co. Showroom was a contributing building in the Motor Row Historic Landmark District established in 2000. It was built in 1912 and designed by architects Jenney, Mundie & Jensen. It was located at 2246-58 S. Indiana Ave.
Details surrounding the neglect and demolition...
LOSS: Iconic Art Deco R.V. Kunka Drug Store Sign Destroyed
After being overpainted with black paint in October 2020, the iconic and beloved R.V. Kunka Pharmacy art deco storefront has been fully removed.
While the paint could have potentially been reversed and restored, the destruction of this historic storefront eliminates this option. It is unclear why the owner made this...
LOSS: Bulldozers Clear 20 Acres of Jackson Park for OPC Construction, including the Woman’s Garden and 800 Old-Growth Trees, (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"Months before the official groundbreaking of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC), residents and commuters were already noticing changes to the landscape near the lakefront.
"Yet, for many people, the scope of the area’s impending transformation didn’t really hit home until the trees came down, hundreds of trees—some more than a...
LOSS: Despite Being a Designated Chicago Landmark District, Rambler Building on Motor Row Demolished After Extreme Neglect
Prior to its emergency demolition, the Rambler Automobile Co. Showroom was a contributing building in the Motor Row Historic Landmark District established in 2000. It was built in 1912 and designed by architects Jenney, Mundie & Jensen. It was located at 2246-58 S. Indiana Ave.
Details surrounding the neglect and...
LOSS: Fire Destroys Historic Pilsen Building at 1125 W. 18th St.
"An extra-alarm fire broke out late Monday in a historic building in Pilsen. The fire was raging at 5:40 p.m. at 1125 W. 18th St. The Fire Department called a 2-11 alarm for extra equipment and personnel.
"Flames were seen shooting from the roof of the building. The Fire Department...
LOSS: Request for Temporary OPC Construction Halt Denied by Supreme Court (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by a Chicago parks preservation group for a temporary halt to construction of the Obama Presidential Center, which officially kicked off in Jackson Park Monday.
"Justice Amy Coney Barrett issued the decision Friday without comment, declining to provide the emergency injunction sought...
LOSS: Bulldozers Begin Clearing Woman’s Garden and 800 Old Growth Trees from Jackson Park for Obama Presidential Center Construction (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"On August 16, the Obama Foundation started work on the Obama Presidential Center, but without the fanfare that one might expect. Over the past five years, the Center's South Side Chicago location has prompted multiple lawsuits and a recent Supreme Court petition.
"It's not that Chicagoans don't want the Center—many...
LOSS: Bulldozers Begin Clearing Woman’s Garden and 800 Old Growth Trees from Jackson Park for Obama Presidential Center Construction (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"On August 16, the Obama Foundation started work on the Obama Presidential Center, but without the fanfare that one might expect. Over the past five years, the Center's South Side Chicago location has prompted multiple lawsuits and a recent Supreme Court petition.
"It's not that Chicagoans don't want the Center—many...
LOSS: Request for Temporary OPC Construction Halt Denied by Supreme Court (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by a Chicago parks preservation group for a temporary halt to construction of the Obama Presidential Center, which officially kicked off in Jackson Park Monday.
"Justice Amy Coney Barrett issued the decision Friday without comment, declining to provide the emergency injunction sought...
LOSS: Lake View Bank/Belmont National Bank Demolished Despite 2,000+ Petition Signatures to Save It
"Preservationists are trying to stop a developer from tearing down an old bank building in Lakeview to make way for a massive commercial project.
"Crews began demolishing the Fifth-Third Bank building, 3179 N. Clark St., on Friday. The city’s Department of Buildings approved a demolition permit for the two-story building...
LOSS: Decorative Terra Cotta Ornament Stripped from New Devon Theater / Assyrian American Association
"As of September 2, 2021 it seems that the beautiful terra cotta face that has looked down over Devon Avenue for more than 100 years is no more. No one is quite sure what happened, but there was scaffolding on the building and someone was chipping away at it...
LOSS: The Demolition of Unprotected Pilsen Buildings Resumes
"The owners of a trio of vintage buildings on 18th Street in Pilsen are the first to take out demolition permits under the city’s new anti-gentrification plan that tacks $15,000 onto the existing cost of taking out a permit.
"The Chicago City Council in late March approved the surcharge for...
LOSS: North Shore Dairy Demolished for Mega-Mansion in 2020, Then They Changed Their Minds
"The buyers of a triple lot in Lincoln Park who demolished a conjoined pair of 1870s buildings to make way for a megamansion appear to have changed their minds. They have put the property, now cleared of buildings, on the market at $6.75 million.
"When the property sold in May...
LOSS: Documenting the ADM Wheat Mill Demolition on ChicagolandArchitecture Blog (Chicago 7 2021)
"The Fulton-Randolph Market Landmark District was created in 2015 to 'recognize and preserve the historic significance and importance of the…historic streetscapes and buildings' as the area quickly gentrified over the last decade, becoming a shell of its former self. It was important to protect what was left.
"But part of...
LOSS: Wrecking Ball Is Response To Written Offer for $1.5 Million to Move Chicago Town and Tennis and Petition with 3,000 Signatures (Chicago 7 2020)
Misericordia Tears Down West Ridge Building, Ending Fight To Save 1920s Tennis Club;
A last-ditch effort to save the building fell short just the night before demolition began, Joe Ward, Block Club Chicago, 6/18/20.
LOSS: McKinley Park Wrigley Factory Demolished for Truck Cross-Dock Warehouse
"Demolition is for the former Wrigley factory site at West 35th Street and South Ashland Avenue, clearing the way for a last-mile shipping warehouse similar to other new commercial development nearby. The South Branch Commerce Center at 3535 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, looks to rise this summer and...
LOSS: Former Dairy in Lincoln Park To Be Demolished
"They always called it the dairy.
"'Come to the dairy,' Deborah Clarkson would often say when she invited people to her home. She liked how the word contained the history of the house and of Chicago.
"We had the sense that we were keeping something alive,” she said the other day,...
PRINT: City Council Unanimously Bans Horse-Drawn Carriages Starting Jan. 1
"The distinctive sound of hooves clip-clopping along downtown streets will soon become a relic of a bygone era.
"The Chicago City Council on Friday approved a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Chicago starting Jan. 1, 2021 ending a debate that raged for years and often turned deeply personal. Alds. Pat...
PRINT: Documenting the Past: A look at some of Chicago’s disappearing buildings in South Side Weekly
"It’s fun to shoot old Chicago. I like documenting and seeing the hidden history. So much will be forgotten if we do not photograph the past. When a school, a church, or any building is abandoned, it usually winds up being demolished—by taking pictures we’ll help preserve its history.
"I...