A demolition permit was issued Wednesday, February 19 for a multi-unit residential building at 1036-67 West Taylor Street in the Little Italy neighborhood on the Near West Side. The permit names St. Ignatius College Prep as the owner of the building; Redfin shows the building was purchased in August for $1.8 million.
Site context of 1063-67 West Taylor Street, via Google Maps
Real estate records vary on the exact year, but agree that the building was constructed in the late 1880s. It is unclear what St. Ignatius plans to do with the site. It lies immediately north of their athletic field, separated only by an alley running parallel to Taylor Street.
1059 West Taylor Street, permitted for demolition October 12, 2023. Via Google Street View
1059 and 1063 West Taylor demo sites, from the alley behind the St. Ignatius athletic field. Via Google Street View
Heneghan Wrecking is named as the demolition contractor, with the permit showing an estimated demo cost of $170,000. They’ve already razed the building next door, at 1059 West Taylor, which was also owned by St. Ignatius. That structure was issued a demo permit in October 2023; it was purchased in November 2022 for $1.25 million.
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Well this one sucks. Hopefully they can actually do something worthwhile with this space?
These schools/Universities are so horrible with their land use.
Why is it always charming buildings like these that get torn down, instead of ugly strip malls and single story commercial drive through buildings? Ugh, now there will be a huge gap in the streetscape. I can only hope that they fill it up with a proper building instead of leaving it vacant as they “land bank” it for years….
Amen
In the top photo, the parking lot in front of Al’s #1 Italian Beef is visible.
They don’t pay taxes, so they have no incentive to not land bank. It’s cheaper to landbank a vacant lot than a property which requires maintenance.
Criminal, this city is such a let down architecturally, it claims to be the leader yet is destroying its architecture at an alarming rate.
Chicago is not your museum. I am excited to see what St Ignatius needs the land for
The built environment is all of our museum. One of the main reasons people move here is to experience a walkable, fine fabric, architecturally pleasant city. One by one this city is destroying about the only thing it has going for it left, it’s stock of turn of the last century buildings. Some 2nd rate Catholic school building is the literal definition of “small thinking” by narrow minded sheeple. God forbid the institution build on the hundreds of acres of empty lots in the vicinity.