Demolition has begun on the former discount furniture store at 1950 West Lawrence Avenue in Ravenswood. The back wall of the structure has been broken through, allowing a clear view from the alley all the way the the front windows of the store’s showroom. Not much progress has been made, but enough to get a small excavator through the back of the building and keep the alley clear.
The front façade is still intact, as work begins from the back of the store. Photo by Daniel Schell
From the T intersection of two alleys at the back of the building. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The demolition permit for the store was issued on the sixth of this month, with Mulroy Demolition & Excavation assigned to carry out the teardown at an estimated cost of $38,000. Upon completion of demo work, Vista Group Realty will build a five-story, 12-unit apartment building with parking and retail space on the first floor. On January 22, a permit was issued to revise construction of the east wall in the new project.
Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
The 12 residential units were given permission to begin back on March 21, 2023. Revisions have been issued in the interim to change contractors and to reinstate the permit. Now that work has begun, we should have seen the last of the necessary extensions. Jonathan SPLITT Architects is the architect of record for the new build, with Remodeling Consultants named as the general contractor.
Photo by Daniel Schell
The sign still hangs at the front of the store. Photo by Daniel Schell
1950 West Lawrence Avenue in located in the midst of several transit options. Residents will have access to CTA bus stops via Routes 50 and 81 less than a block west, at the intersection of Lawrence and Damen Avenues. Three blocks south on Damen is the Damen Brown Line elevated train platform, and three blocks east is the newly-renovated Ravenswood Metra station and its UP-N trains. The rerouted Route 9 Ashland bus begins its southward journey at the Metra station. Both the Metra and the Brown Line stations have Divvy bike racks within a few steps.
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Oh, those trusses! That terra cotta! Way cool stuff. It’d be nice to know some of it is being saved and eventually reused. Remind me to tell you of the story of the floor boards in Cafe Margo some time.
Are they are doing a façadectomy, or have they just not demolished the front yet? Glad to see more house going in, regardless.
I haven’t heard any indication that it’s being saved. They’re working from the back, so the façade will be the last piece to go.
I was just there. No one has told the demolition crew to save the façade. Maybe a tile or two with ornamentation on them will be salvaged, if they can do it without shattering them, but that’s it.
That’s dissapointing. It’s not the best example of terra cotta, but it would haveen been cool and interesting to reuse it for the new structure.
This is an early Jewel store model IIRC, circa 1930s
The Facade should be saved in this development. What mistake to demo it.
We really need more condos and the excellent, fun and exciting residents it will bring! It will drive the prices up for everyone else, even RENTERS, so that’s a GREAT THING. Capitalism ROCKS! Everyone WINS!!!