According to bar staff Wrigleyville’s Blarney Stone will close at the end of September. The owner has sold the building, which includes several apartments. The Blarney Stone has been in operation since 1970. It provides an unpretentious atmosphere that is getting harder to find in Chicago. Touches like the old picture of John F. Kennedy … Continue reading Wrigleyville’s Blarney Stone: Building Sold and Bar to Close
Owners of older large mall properties in Chicago have a problem on their hands. Department stores that once loomed large on the retail landscape have gone bankrupt or reduced their location numbers. That puts these mall owners, who have buildings designed for department store occupancy, in a difficult position. With tenants disappearing and no rush … Continue reading What is Next for Vacant Department Store Spaces?
The 606 Trail definitely adds something to the city. This project took an abandoned railroad right of way and converted it into an amenity that has pumped new energy into surrounding neighborhoods. Anyone who ever passed over the railroad right of way on a CTA train before conversion knows that it was a stagnant eyesore. … Continue reading The 606: A Great Addition to Chicago
At long last the Children’s Memorial Hospital complex, located at Lincoln and Fullerton, is coming down. It has been vacant since the organization moved to Streeterville in 2012. A lawsuit was filed to block the proposed $350 million redevelopment project. Some in the community felt the project was out of sync with neighborhood context. But … Continue reading Children’s Memorial Hospital Demolition Underway
The Esquire Theater, located at 58 East Oak Street, should have been put out of its misery. Instead of fading into history in dignified fashion it lives on as a Frankenstein’s monster. Once upon a time this was one of Chicago’s grand movie theaters. It opened in 1938 and boasted sleek art deco design details. … Continue reading Esquire Renovation is an Abomination
Re-purposing Finkl Steel’s site is the latest chapter in a forty-year transformation. Their now-demolished factory had been a presence on Cortland Street at the Chicago River my entire life. Driving through you could often catch glimpses of heavy machinery and steel making in action. I had not been by since before they moved. So I visited yesterday … Continue reading The Changing Face of the North Side
I thought the Webster Place Shopping Center, located at Clybourn and Webster, would be in trouble by now. I read a few months back that L.A. Fitness closed the long-time health club operation there. Last I knew the other anchors were Barnes and Noble and Regal Cinemas. Barnes and Noble is struggling to change with the times. … Continue reading Webster Place is Alive and Well