Saturday, March 27, 2010

Gut Rehab On Argyle

We're glad to see even more progress on Argyle Street after a fire burned a row of businesses in 2008.  One of the Edgewater Community Buzz contributors snapped the photo above and says, "More activity on the buildings that caught fire on Argyle right off the El stop. Here is a picture from the train. They removed the roof and gutted the entire inside."

Update:  We heard from someone who was "in the know" during the court proceedings, who tells us that the owners have plans for storefronts only, so the building will basically be replacing what was there before the fire.

4 comments:

  1. Does anyone know who approved this?
    We have seen lots of articles about the Alderman's (Smith) Planning Committee which approves plans and how the block clubs get to see plans.
    Neither has met. She keeps cancelling meetings. This is in a TIF. Are they getting TIF money?
    Who approved the design for the front of the building? What happened to community participation? Where is Hugh when we need him?

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  2. Is'nt this property on Ald. Shiller's side of the street? If I'm not mistaken, Argyle is split between the two wards.

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  3. BobbyTuba, the Update on the January 19 post says that the demolition court judge ordered the work on an emergency basis. I'm not an attorney, but I think that an emergency order may trump everything else. Just my guess.

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  4. You can tell this is being built cheaply. They are piling cinder blocks atop old, jagged brick on the east side and appear to not be replacing the building front (which was horrible even before the fire 19 months ago). Why is it acceptable for Argyle to look so bad. No one is asking for glamour, but couldn't there have been some oversight, standards and community involvement in the replacement buildings that will be there another 100 years? Although a court may have (FINALLY) stepped in after 19 months to enforce demolition of a burnt out building (next to one of the very worst El stops of all), I doubt they also ordered immediate construction of another awful building to perpetuate the Argyle blight.

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