The slow demise of Cabrini Green continues....

Photos courtesy of Jason Thomas; thank you for contributing!

While I am glad that they are coming down, what were their positives, if any? They once housed thousands of residents, but now these communities are dispersed across the city and metro area. It would be interesting to at least preserve their memory with a memorial of some sort; perhaps a museum or pictorial history on Chicago's public housing? At the same time, Cabrini Green has done much to wreck the image of public housing worldwide. It's notoriety will outlive the structures themselves.

With the construction of 10 East Delaware, an entire block of 19th century/early-20th century buildings are lost

With the pending demolition of the buildings on the site of the future 10 East Delaware building, an entire block of old-style Chicago architecture will soon be lost. Already gone is an 19th century cottage (formerly the home of Trio Hair Salon), demolished before I had a chance to photograph it. That building is to be replaced by Elysian, a glossy-yet-chintzy, uber-expensive condo project; a French villa knock-off in high-rise form. Interestingly, as Emporis notes, redevelopment was long-planned for this site:

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=188061

I was a bit relieved that it appeared that the remainder of the block, with locally-owned businesses and restaurants would be preserved, preserving a touch of historic Chicago just off the Mag Mile. Unfortunately, to my dismay, a sign soon appeared announcing yet another high-end condo project. I cannot believe how swiftly these developers move. I have included pictures of the soon-to-be demolished buildings on this site; this time I did not fail to capture this slice of Chicago street life before it disappears...

The link to the Ten East Delaware project:

http://teneastdelaware.com/contact.asp

Oh great, another faux historical high-rise condo project...By the way, is this Vegas or Chicago? Is it me or do all these buildings resemble the casino hotels on the Las Vegas Strip?

Love, Mr. Archibleckture

Revisit my inspiration for this site, the 2003 Tribune series, "A squandered heritage"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/custom/landmarks/chi-landmarksfront-htmlstory,0,6326641.htmlstory

This is the excellent series of articles that started it all for me, "A Squandered Heritage," which ran in the Chicago Tribune back in 2003. Written by Blair Kamin and Patrick T. Reardon, it focused on what had been lost up until that point. Reading this article filled me with rage; up until that point, I was proud to be a part of the well-publicized Chicago renaissance, which had been well covered in the local as well as national press. Headlines blared that Chicago's population had grown for the first time in decades; the Loop was becoming a shopping destination again. Yuppies were moving back to the city in droves. But what would be left of the city once this development boom subsided? Sadly, the loss of so many historic buildings seems to have accelerated since this article came out. This past week, as I photographed buildings soon to come down, I again realized that EVERY SINGLE HISTORIC BUILDING should be considered threatened with demolition-yes, every single one. Don't forget this.

Love, Mr. Archibleckture

Lakeview's 1914 Holabird & Roche-designed LaSalle Bank branch threatened?

It appears that the LaSalle Bank branch located at 3201 N. Ashland Avenue is now likely to be demolished, to be replaced by a redevelopment project led by Centrum Properties. Although significantly modified, this building has long played a key role in West Lakeview. LaSalle Bank no longer feels the need to maintain such a substantial presence on the site. Both it and the adjacent Meyer's Medic Building will likely be gone soon.

http://www.insideonline.com/site/epage/32007_162.htm

Alderman Tunney is fully supportive of the project, indicating that the land needs to be better utilized. Any thoughts on this site are appreciated. I will add photos soon.

Love, Mr. Archibleckture