Demolition of the former Fast Track fast food restaurant is complete at Lake Street and Des Plaines Avenue in the West Loop. Single-story buildings aren’t expected to take much time to tear down, and once this one got started, is was over in a hurry. With the site clear, construction can begin for the eight-story, 49-unit residential building taking its place.
Pre-demolition, January 25, 2025. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The restaurant was permitted for demolition on August 1 of last year, so its demise has been a long time coming. A visit on January 25 showed the site had been fenced in, with an excavator champing at the bit to get started, but no demo progress.
But on January 29, Twitter user @Jlukaw sent us a few photos of demolition underway. He followed them up a couple hours later to show the Precision Excavation crew had chewed their way through to the front of the building. By the end of the following day, the entire structure had been leveled.
January 29 demolition work courtesy of @jlukaw on Twitter
January 29 demolition work courtesy of @jlukaw on Twitter
Another walkaround on January 3 showed nothing left but pallets of salvaged bricks, with the demo crew still collecting them after removing all other rubble and debris. The excavator remains on site, ready to begin prep site and foundation work for the new apartments.
From the alley, looking north across the demolition site. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Looking south from Lake Street. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
629 West Lake Street was permitted for construction on December 9, 2025. The permit names Fulton Market Suites LLC as the developer and Chicago Common Partners LLC as the general contractor, with Axios Architects serving as architect of record. A text-book Transit Oriented Development, it will include just two parking spaces.
The construction site is located two blocks west of the Clinton Green/Pink elevated platform, and less than a four-block walk from the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Chicago O.T.C.) The Route 56 Milwaukee bus stops right in front of the building, at Lake and Desplaines Streets.
Site context of 629 West Lake Street, via Google Maps
Rendering of 629 West Lake Street by Axios Architects
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Is there going to be some kind of lawsuit to protect the Bulls mural and push out this needed housing?
That bull in the mural should have gone to the community meetings and argued that this building would block his views. Not In My Bull Yard.
Damn shame. Not the best burger in the city, but close. And the fries were to die for. But, mostly, we’re losing some culture here as they just don’t make joints like this anymore. I remember sitting and waiting for my order just silently listening to all the back and forth banter with the owner/workers/regulars, etc. It was like a scene out of an old mobster movie….
It’s refreshing to see housing being built mostly for people and very little for car storage. This is truly the essence of what it means to be YIMBY.
Hat tip on the headline. Well played.