Hello Craig,
It's a beautiful sunny day in Roger Park, a great day for another single family tear down to start. Just thought you might want to get a few pictures of the destruction underway today at 1620 W. Estes.
The character of Rogers Park continues to change -- this is the 3rd single family to go on just this one block, all to be replaced by cookie-cutter concrete block condos.
Here are some pictures from early fall, when a "tear down sale" was underway. It was a beautiful Victorian house -- the kind that would go for $1 million+ in say Lakewood Balmoral. Leaded glass windows, refinished oak woodwork through out, even a almost brand new master bath! But developers wanted it for it's 50 foot lot -- and why not, the R-4 zoning allows much higher density -- at least 6, maybe 7 or 8 units.
FYI, I'm not slamming Joe Moore for this -- he's downzoned and proposed to downzone many areas where people want it done-- but people need to support downzoning and recognize the urgency of it -- plenty of folks just don't care or can't be bothered to do anything about this.
I just want people to be aware of what's happening in our neighborhood.
I'll try to get a few pictures of the tear down today in case you don't make it over. Feel free to use these pictures and/or my comments (but all of them please, including the part about Joe Moore) on your blogsite.
Regards, Jim McKee
16 comments:
> It was a beautiful Victorian house -- the kind that would go for $1 million+ in say Lakewood Balmoral. Leaded glass windows, refinished oak woodwork through out, even a almost brand new master bath!
PIN 11-31-203-017
Aldermanic pal Steve Golovan formed 1620 W Estes LLC on 9/2/05 and bought this home for $570K on 9/16/05.
> But developers wanted it for it's 50 foot lot -- and why not, the R-4 zoning allows much higher density -- at least 6, maybe 7 or 8 units.
6800 square feet of land in an RT4 district
6800 + 680 = 7680
7680 / 1000 = 7 units
Demo permit issued 11/28/05.
Permit Status
A small group of Moore campaign contributors is behind nearly all the tear-downs in our neighborhood.
The pace is quickening.
> im sure some will survive the coming onslaught
don't blink
Toto sez: I think we need a little history lesson here...
So let's go back to the site of the first major teardown in Chicago... Ft Dearborn.
Up north north on the Indian trail known as Ridge some disgruntled Potowatomies and a few Winnebagos are fed up with this motly crew that had the audacity of settle on their land and build a building way way out of scale of the neighborhood. (Blogging was much harder then. People actually got burned doing smoke signals and the neighbors' complained about pollution.) So when they finally did get together they hit upon a brilliant idea.
Teardown, or in this case actually burndown, but hey, they didn't have cranes and bulldozers back then and you can only do so much with a bow and arrow.
So they hopped the Red Line...oops scratch that...they got in their canoes and paddled down the lake lit a match and it was history.
Out of those glorius ashes we now have one of the busiest intersections in the world and some mighty fine archetecture. So hats off to those history making indians of 1812 and know in your heart that with every teardown in Rogers Park you are faithfully continuing a tradition started by our fine forebearers.
If the Hell Hole had any money to pay writers, the Hell Hole would hire Toto .
Jeff O- I agree- the previous owner lost out on a lot of cash. If they had sold directly to the developer they would surely have made more $. But that's a moot point.
I don't think I need to say how I feel about this teardown. I think it's a shame.
I just had my property and my neighbor's downzoned thanks to the aid of the Alderman's office. So we are putting our money where our mouths are here.
I just heard about someone in Andersonville area who bought 2 lots and had both homes torn down to build one on the 2 lots. So don't tell me people can't afford large homes in the city. Look at Wicker park.
Toto's comment takes us nowhere in circles- despite how clever some seem to find it.
Toto writes poems, songs and history for free. Toto only accepts cash when panhandling. Toto drops in occasionly to give everyone's life a ray of sunshine. Thanks Craig.
To: theredperil
From: Toto
Toto is proud to tasteless. Life's too short to carry on crusades. Toto enjoys poking fun at people. Give me some good material and I'll even poke fun at JoMo.
Kiss kiss
The existing condos on Estes aren't exactly selling. Will be interesting to see how this does once it's completed (and it won't happen fast enough for me since I get to listen to the construction all day). Last I heard there were well over 700 condos for sale in RP (this was in Sept. or Oct.). Second, this particular block of Estes (and I happen to be very familiar with it) has been a problem since 1991. While I hate to see another single family home gone, the condoization of this particular area is helping turn things around (gang banging and drug dealing) though it can still be dicey.
Paradise must live in a condo which is why she disses single family homes and defends multi-unit. My gas bill for a 4 br. house is about $125/mo. (give or take, depending on gas prices) -- not exactly a back breaking bill (many people pay that just for cable).
I think everyone has it all wrong re the condos. The problem is not the tear downs and the condos. The problem is 1) too much inventory which will cause them to revert to rental units but the "landlords" will be individuals or individual developers and tougher to track down where they allow a building to go to seed and/or rent to dealers; 2) lack of provision for parking.
Some of these developers may be effectively running a pyramid scheme where they get early buys from speculative types so they can get their financing to build/rehab. My issue isn't with what happens to the hood due to condo sales but what happens to the hood due to empty condos and absentee landlords and/or defaulting mortgagees.
Pamela, the last two paragraphs of that last post were exactly, exactly right. Totally. Thank you.
What do you think would be required to turn this situation around?
If I were queen I'd do what I could to put a moratorium on expanding space (i.e., no more zoning exemptions for a period of time until the inventory works its way down a bit but rehabs of existing buildings could be done). And I would insist that developers provide adequate parking (you want a permit to gut that building, then give me some parking spaces). I'd also do what I could to get these developers to create or improve retail space and bring in shops. In other words, I would advertise that RP is open for business and that the community will be agreeable but we need a few things in exchange. Geez, this is Chicago! You would think that the Alderman's office would understand how to play the oligarchy game. I thought Richie gave lessons every Wed. a.m.
there are a few problems with the "big picture" outlook for the future and pamela hit on one of them. her point of oversupply of units is well taken and verified in an article in yesterday's business section chicago tribune. sales nationally are not only flattening, they are declining at a faster pace than previously forecast.
"u.s housing market conditions are deteriorating rapidly" because inventories of both single family homes and condos "appear to be surging"
additionaly, it is increasingly becoming more expensive and exclusive to renovate and maintain older "historic" homes like this one. most dedicated preservationists and renovators would opt to not spend the time and expense of an historical renovation if their house were next door to one of these condo buildings. the more these buildings appear, the fewer historical renovations will take place. these homes will soon become "endangered species" if this domino trend continues.
> you want a permit to gut that building, then give me some parking spaces
Our laws requiring parking are for new construction, condo conversion projects are explicitly exempt.
Parking and Loading
> ... how to play the oligarchy game. I thought Richie gave lessons every Wed. a.m.
It's one Wed. a month.
Daley's classroom
Hugh -- do we know if new construction can get parking space waivers? My sense is that not all tear-downs are getting all the parking they should but I admit this could be incorrect impression on my part. I will keep my eyes peeled on the Estes build out (since I can see it from my back yard).
Hugh -- you should have posted a pic of that scene from Rocky Horror Picture Show where the audience yells out "Chicago City Council." Now I am totally dating myself.
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