A demolition permit was issued by the City of Chicago on March 18 to tear down a small retail plaza at 4313 North Lincoln Avenue in the North Center neighborhood, making room for a proposed residential development from Mangan Builders. They have a pending permit in the Chicago Data Portal for a four-story, 12-unit building on the site, addressed as 4309 North Lincoln.
The plaza was most recently the home of art collective VibrantCast. Prior to that, there had been an insurance office here, as well as the House of Wah Sun Chinese restaurant, whose sign still stands in the parking lot despite moving out of the space in 2022. Precision Excavation is named as the contractor for the demolition; the permit shows a reported demo cost of $50,000. Mangan Builders will be their own general contractor when the new build gets started.
Precision Excavation is ready to get started. Photo by Daniel Schell
One of the former VibrantCast spaces. Photo by Daniel Schell
The former restaurant-turned-art-gallery space, now abandoned. Photo by Daniel Schell
The new project, designed by Jonathan SPLITT Architects, calls for six parking spots, storage for 28 bicycles, and commercial space on the ground floor. Both permits note that the existing basement is not to be torn up, but the new construction permit doesn’t say what it will be used for. The brick façade at the back of the single-story building along the alley is also to be kept intact.
This exterior wall along the alley is to remain in place. Photo by Daniel Schell
4309 North Lincoln Avenue lies about six blocks away from the Western Brown Line L platform to the northwest. The Irving Park Brown Line platform is a slightly longer walk to the southeast. The Route 78 CTA bus is available one block north, at Lincoln and Montrose Avenue. Route 49 and X49 buses run north-south five blocks west at Western Avenue and Montrose. The Ravenswood Metra station and its UP-N trains is one mile northeast on foot.
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It’s always a win when a strip mall bites the dust.
Also, preserving the rear facade along the alley—that’s a first! I wonder why they are doing that?
I wonder too. Looks like the working definition of nondescript to me.
I wonder if it’s to preserve some nonconformity. I don’t know the City’s Zoning Code, but perhaps it’s something like not needing a rear yard variance if the wall isn’t being changed.
My guess as well. I can’t imagine it would be cheaper to not tear down the wall.
When I saw the excavator and demo fencing on the site the other day, I got my hopes up that this dumb old strip would be biting the dust.
Awesome news!
Hello To Whom It May Concern I Writing About Build 4313 N.Lincoln When U All Build Get in Touch With Me, I Have A Section 8 Voucher I Looking For Big 2bd 2Bth Balcony Washer)Drying in My Unit And Tubs In Both’s WashRoom And Free Garage. InSide Thank U
Hello again, Gale. As I’ve said, we don’t build, we only report. Please go to the developer’s website and contact them about your housing needs, in case they don’t see your comment on our website: http://www.manganbuilders.com
I’m starting to think “Gale Stamps” is some kind of a troll as opposed to a legit identity of a real person. I’ve been seeing those comments on this site for at least a year or two in references to developments in neighborhoods all over the city. No way that’s a real person.
Closest L stop would actually be the Montrose brown line stop
Not Lincoln Square, but North Center. Glad to see a strip mall go.
Yep. You’re right
Wonderful! I’d love to see strip malls all over the city replaced by better urban-form developments that come right up to the sidewalk without a parking lot. This is great news.
Wow! That strip mall had one of the first Video rental places in it in like 1980 when I was a kid. It used to be the only place you could rent Videos at the time.