January 28, 2012

The Land & Real Estate

The Land & then Building on it
The history of 'building on land' should go hand and hand with the implementation of zoning. Below are two links that may help the reader understand the concept of zoning in Chicago, always an interesting topic of conversation for anyone particularly the neighborhood associations and block groups in the city along with a brief history of zoning in Lake View since 2016 by 
Chicago Cityscape. The building developments in Wrigleyville 
are in a separated blog post entry.
The 'Halsted Flats' development on Halsted Street near Grace
Population Growth Maps
as the population expands so does development
1830-2030
before westward expansion
... 27 years before the formation 
of Lake View Township ...
A landscape transformed
... 11 years after the annexation of the City of Lake View 
by the City of Chicago 
 the suburban explosion 
... 20 years after the creation of official city neighborhoods
 the region under pressure
growth with a new planned developmental concepts 
the impending threat: the risks ahead
The Chicago Plan of 1909
Daniel Burnham is best known for his admonition to “make no little plans.” He studied the great cities of the world and developed an approach to urban planning that was distinctive in being comprehensive, systematic and regional. Language from the 1909 Plan provides principles that continue to guide planning and development in the Chicago region today.
The Estates of Lake View Township
Chicago and Its Suburbs - edit pg 343-371
by Everett Chamberlin 1874
and Illinois Genealogy Trails
Property along the lake shore within a mile of the park [Lincoln Park] is worth $100 per foot. North of the park values range from $75 to $45 per foot according to its distance from the city. The principal owners are Messrs. B.F. Culver, W.K. Nixon, Maj. Goodwin, S.B. Chase, J.H. Rees, J.V. Le Moyne, Hubbard Boyden, J.B. Walker, H.G. Spafford, F. Tyler, and others. A majority of these owners are holding surplus land for certain increase (investment). The text and images below are from 'Chicago and It's Suburbs' by Everett Chamberlin.
The Owners:
Daniel Goodman
Major Daniel Goodwin owns near the Marine Hospital [between Montrose & Irving Park Road along the lakefront] a beautiful home of 6 acres of tastefully 
ornamented grounds surrounding it. 
He purchased the grounds in 1871 for $30,000.
Frank W Palmer
Mr B F Culver has done at least as much as any other party for the development of the town. He first purchased a tract of ten acres in 1866 paying $600 for it and ten acres in the following year paying $1,500 per acre. These two pieces of property lie between Wellington Street, Barry Avenue, the Evanston 'dummy' Road, and Lake View Avenue and sell now at $125 per front foot. In 1668 he bought property in Baker's subdivision at $20 per foot which has increased to $100 per foot. The property known as Culver's Lake Front Addition was bought in 1870 at $6,000 per acre. It now sells at $100 per foot. Mr Culver built the beautiful Italian villa and later sold it to Hon. Frank W Palmer. Mr Culver has spent much of his time and expended large sums of money for the benefit of the locality and deserves the prominent mention given above. This is located on Barry Avenue and was erected at an expense of $24,000. It is full two stories and attic story in height of a very handsome design both outside and in. The main entrance on the south side of the dwelling is massive and ornamented with a handsome lower at the west side of it which extends above the roof and culminates in a large & tastefully finished observatory. The bay features seen at the west end are among the most attractive arrangements about this building & afford a view to the north/south & west of the elaborately adorned and extensive grounds about. The interior of the house is  finished in hard woods & arranged with symmetry & taste. 
W.C. Goudy
instrumental in the creation of Lincoln Park, the park
and a Lincoln Park Board Commissioner 1886-1893
The residence of Mr Goudy is in Wrightwood [Avenue] fronting on Green Bay Road, an extension of Clark Street just north of Fullerton avenue, to the limit of the city [of Chicago]. The house was erected in 1865 at an expense of more than $20,000 and the ground with the present improvement is now worth $50,000. It stands on a beautiful ridge so that the basement story is above the surface of the ground in the rear and the main entrance is only two or three steps above it in front. The style of architecture is exhibited by the engraving. The grounds are ornamented with shrubbery, flowers and fountains and covered with native trees. The front proper is upon Green Bay Road but opposite is a front with a large veranda overlooking Lincoln Park [the park itself] and Lake Michigan furnishing an unobstructed and magnificent view from every window. There is no place combining better the advantages of city and country[side] than this spot. 
J.B. Waller
Mr. J.B. Waller owns 53 acres of improved property worth. 
The house is a very large one of a very substantial build and looks like the fine old mansions to be seen in long settled districts. The reader can judge of the liberal outlay needed to build such a house and adorn the grounds about it by a glance. The cupola commands a view of Lake Michigan and a large radius of country around [at or near the St. Mary of the Lake Church]. The material of the house is brick. The interior is elaborately finished in hardwood and its fine apartments are spacious pleasant and comfortable. The cost of the structure was about $75,000.
J.A. Huck
The spacious grounds surrounding Mr Huck's house compare favorably with the best planned of those before mentioned in this article. They front 500 feet on Fullerton 
Avenue and extend south on Clark Street 600 feet. Although the outside of the house is of plain and simple architecture there are few dwellings more comfortably arranged inside. The first floor is devoted to parlors, dining room, family sleeping apartments, and kitchen The second floor contains a large chamber parlor and several sleeping rooms with all modern appliances and improvements. The site is valued at $225,000. Mr Huck owns also a fine tract of twenty acres adjoining Ravenswood in Lake View [Township] and has sown it to grass, a preparation for subdivision, and sale in lots and blocks next spring. (According to the description of the location of the residence should have been in Chicago.)
and via Library of Congress
photo - Library of Congress
Anna Spafford's album
The Spafford's cottage home was located on a triangular lot containing five acres in one of the most attractive spots in Lake View [Township]. Below are 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of the location of their home/property.
 the general area - property to the lower left
with a zoomed view below
 below is the area east of Halsted Street
with the then existing lakefront
The lot is bounded by Evanston [Avenue] (Broadway) on the west Halsted Street, Graceland Avenue (Irving Park Road) on the south. Just across Halsted Street is the site of the U.S. Marine Hospital and on the south were the [gardens] grounds owned by S.H. Kerfoot. So that on the south and east an extensive and beautiful lawn prospect stretches instead of a view blocked by rows of buildings. Mr. Spafford has improved his home site in a very artistic manner with a large outlay. His homestead is worth $7500.
Mr. S.H. Kerfoot 
(no illustration)
For many years prominently identified with the real estate business owns about seventy acres near the Marine Hospital This federal hospital was constructed between 1869-72 and was demolished by 1960. He purchased the original tract in 1853 paying $100 per acre. He began making improvements at that time and has continued them ever since until now the land is worth on the lake shore from $100 to $150 per foot and elsewhere its value ranges from $40 to $70 per foot. He has improved so many of his blocks by planting extra trees in regular order opening up & grading and graveling walks & drives in various other ways beautifying them that it is hard to tell which he calls his home. At present he occupies a very tastefully arranged cottage on a block of nine acres highly ornamented but his plans for his permanent dwelling on his large and exquisite grounds extending to the lake shore promise a homestead and surroundings unequaled in the vicinity of Chicago. Some of the single blocks in Mr. Kerfoot's interest are worth $125,000.
Kerfoot's Garden along the Lake
text - 'Constructing Chicago'
The Forgotten Houses of Lake View
from a pdf called 'Daniel O'Hill Preliminary Summary'

Mapping History of Property Values

Social Scientist Maps
Property values of the area that would be called Lake View Township before major development in the area. Lake View Township was incorporated in 1857 until 1887 and the City of Lake View from 1887-1889. Check out this 1870 Van Vechten 
map of Cook County (zoom) and discover who owned lots of property. Some names will be recognizable like the first mayor of the City of Chicago W.B. Ogden. If first look at the Van Vechten map and then map below for Mr. Ogden's property values - about $1.25 - $2 bucks per square mile. Another early landowner according to a publication called Lake View Saga 1847-1985 was George Snow when his lands were an 'unincorporated area' of Cook County...
image - University of Chicago Library
Land values before the formation of the township
between Belmont and Fullerton Avenues along the lakefront tripled from 1868 to 1872 particularly along Wellington and Barry Avenues selling $125 per sq. mile.
The below Chicago Tribune article is about the transfer of property / real estate within Township of Lake View in 1882
1892 map
 Three years after the township/city annexation 
 by the City of Chicago
1928 map
 Property values of the area that would that was once called Lake View Township/City
A Growth Timeline
 the years as a Township, City, District, and Neighborhood 
1857-1933
Gross Park Area of Lake View
Read more about it with this link to the 
Gross Point on Henderson-Facebook 
advertisement for cottage-style houses
1896 assessment letter
Gross Ave. now Ravenswood West Avenue
Homer Ave. not Henderson Avenue 
image - 'Lake View' by Matthew Nickerson
  image - 'Lake View' by Matthew Nickerson
 images - 'Lake View' by Matthew Nickerson 
 
advertisement 1887-89 when Lake View was a city in Illinois
Prices of the Flat in 1891
Three years earlier the City of Lake View 
and 3 townships were annexed. 
The Elevated was planned effecting private property
Years Later...
The 1920's were boom years for old Lake View 
per this 1927 Chicago Tribune article
Type of Housing in Chicago 
by Moss Design via Chicago CityScape
written by Della Hansmann
The Greystone
This type of dwelling design is a staple of our neighborhood. This design consists of stacked apartment units with matching plans the Greystone multi-flat unit is easy to construction and replicate. Small variations in the facade make each unit seem unique but the same building methods could be used over and over again – much to the builder’s convenience. Further, by stacking several units, and placing the access door behind a shared porch, the multi-flat units were hard to distinguish from a larger single-family home.  A street of two and three story Greystones give an impressive sense of density, cohesiveness and even grandeur that a street of smaller individual cottages or larger apartment blocks don’t have.
The Residential Hotel
A standard bearer in the north-side particularly in our neighborhood this type of dwelling-form ensures that, regardless of who owned or built on the adjacent properties, this assembly of units will always have a little patch of green space in their tiny interior court.  What’s more they all have access (both to airflow and view and for physical exits) to both the interior court side of the building and the exterior with its tiny porch/fire stair exits. Read more about this design form from Moss Designs from the above link that include great illustrations! Read more from Moss Designs - above link that include great illustrations! 
The 4+1
Four Plus One apartments are often described as exploiting a loophole in the zoning code.  Its more accurate to say that they were simply a residential building type which was allowed by the Chicago code … until it was actively dis-allowed in 1971 a city council measure requiring that all developers provide one parking spot per dwelling unit in zones R4 and higher.The original code allowed for residential buildings no higher than four floors to be constructed with masonry exterior walls and wood interior framing in Zones R-5 and above. Read more from Moss Designs 
- above link that include great illustrations! 
The Skyscaper
Although this classification is about the downtown area then our neighborhood we do have a structure on Waveland Avenue that we can called a 'scaper' - The New York. 
Read more from Moss Designs from the above link that include great illustrations! 
The Fire Cottage
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 barely touched the old Township of Lake View. Several factors played into the fact; one was the weather but also the sparseness of buildings north of Fullerton Avenue –the northern border with Chicago. These tiny buildings were built as short-term shelter solutions immediately after the fire, these modest homes originally featured pretty much just … exterior walls and a roof. More than five thousand were built in one month to house families without homes through that first winter of 1871. Due to the size of the structure and township building codes at the time (wood dwellings were still allowed) these types of buildings may not been the dwelling of choice by the township residents. Read more about this type of building design from Moss Designs from the above link that include great illustrations! 
The Bungalow
While mostly located in other locations then in Lake View bungalows are regarded as modest single family homes, with full basement, first floor and slant-ceilinged attic above.  They are caped by low pitched roof with overhanging eves and entered through a front door off to one side, next to a wide bay of living room windows.   The Chicago bungalow is brick faced, with decorative stone trim and wooden (sometimes leaded glass) windows. Read more from Moss Designs from the above link 
that includes great illustrations! 
The Tale of the Two-Flat
by Curious City - WBEZ
1927 Lake View Assessments
1937 Lake View East Assessments 
This area remained affluent during the depression years
The First City in the Country 
to Survey Land Use in 1939
... with the results in 1942
Rent Control Ends in 1953
 
Land Use for Public Housing
Public Housing  became a factor in determining the value for properties during and after Great Depression of 1929. Factories had failed and never replaced. For an example, Julia C. Lathrop Homes replaced the International Harvester manufacturing plant resulting in loss of thousands of jobs but a low income solution to housing for unemployed and the working poor.
This map & table reflect public housing 
during the periods between 1935 and 1946

A New Concept: 
Planned Development by 1942
This 1942 map and legend above reflect areas created by city administrators who believed in 'planned development' by locating selected areas of future development.
Planned development is a means of 'land regulation' which promotes large scale, unified land development by means of mid-range, realistic programs in chase of physically curable, social and economic deficiencies in land use. Where appropriate, this planned development should control and promote the following:
1) A mixture of both land uses and dwelling types with at least one of the land uses being regional in nature. 
2) The clustering of residential land uses providing public and common open space. 
 3) Increased administrative discretion to a local professional planning staff while setting aside present land use regulations and rigid plat approval processes.
4) The enhancement of the bargaining process between the developer and government municipalities which in turn strengthens the municipality’s site plan review and control over development for potentially increased profits due to land efficiency, multiple land uses, and increased residential densities.
Note: For more information about residential land use as of 1942 view with this link. Click on the image to turn the page. 
Vacant Dwellings and Mortgage Risk Areas
a 1934 map and table
During the Great Depression years the northwest section of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road was occupied by homeless folks who lived in paper tar shacks.
1938 Depression Era Mortgage Risk 
 I'm assuming A is better then B?
Vacant Land as of 1945
(click on map to enlarge)
New Housing Plans as of 1945
(click on map to enlarge)
The Growth of Subdivisions
The creation of a subdivision was often the first step toward the creation of a new incorporated township or town. Contemporary notions of subdivisions rely on the Lot and Block survey system, 
which became widely used in the 19th century as a means of addressing the expansion of cities from surrounding farmland. While this method of property identification was useful for purposes of conveyancing, it did not address the overall impacts of expansion and the need for a comprehensive approach to planning communities. This following section reflect the evolution of population growth and development. 
Land Occupied by Dwellings  
1857 to 1933

 
1844 - 1860
Note: Lake View Township were incorporated by 1857.
1863-1879
The Town of Lake View (incorporated in 1865) was within the Township of Lake View
1880-1929
Lake View Township/City were annex by the City of Chicago in 1889 as well many other township west and south. The City of Chicago doubled its' territory in 1889 and its' value as a city.
This interactive map highlights the real estate status of jour neighborhood during the Great Depression years.
Paying the Tax Man
This March 1889 letter was issued when Lake View was a city. 
Later that year the City of Lake View (1887-89)
was annexed by the City of Chicago.
photos - Ebay 
Property values are still assessed 
under the old township name 
and an unpopular form of taxation even back in 1895
sample of a 1896 tax bill - Ebay
 sent to a resident on 1753 Robey (3200 block of Fremont)
from an assessors office at 622 (2701) Lincoln Avenue
Assessments in 1937 
that included 'founders of Montgomery Wards' and 
Miss Katie Buckingham - Buckingham Fountain
column 2
column 3 
Building on Land:
The Commodore & Green Brier Apts
once called the Lessing Apartments
once known as the Lessing (Flats) Apartments
and across the street on Surf Street - the Lessing Annex
postcard image - Chuckman Collection
entrance to the Commodore Apartments
photo - Curbed Chicago
Green Brier Apartments across the street on Surf Street
Bobby Binner via Pictures of Chicago-Facebook 
 
"The Lessing was marketed to an upscale clientele and had 86 apartments, some of them with as many as eight rooms. Architect Edmund R. Krause broke the huge six and one half story complex into a series of projecting units with deep but narrow courts between them to provide light and ventilation. The Roman brick façade is organized into the classic three-part design of the Chicago School. Although there is a nifty oculus (a circular opening, especially one at the apex of a dome or structure), it is minimally decorated, 
centered at the top of each projecting bay. 
The Lessing Flats in 1913
 The Lessing Flats in 1916

Apparently Refitted for the Veterans of WWII IN 1942 



Saving & Restoring the Buildings in 1984 



The Pine Grove
a booklet








1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of the location
Pine Grove and Surf Street
The Surf Apartment Hotel
 The Cambridge Apartment Hotel
 The Brewster Apartment Hotel
Developments along Sheridan Road: 
Sheridan Road once ranged from Diversey to Grace Street until 1931
(click to enlarge if needed)
Sheridan Road/Briar Place in 1914

Sheridan Road/Roscoe in 1919

another view of it ...
According to Susan Reibman Groff this building featured by the 
Art Institute in its 1989-90 calendar. Described by architect Peter J. Weber as “the building which solves the servant problem” because it provided rooms and baths on the first floor for chauffeurs and butlers. Additional quarters for “help” were in a roof-story added at the west end of the building. The French Neo-Classical façade is Bedford stone. The north carriage entrance on the right has a porte-cochère.
            3314 & 3330 Sheridan Road in 1918
 
views of 3330 Sheridan Road below
photos - Jim Martin

 interior view below
views from the harbor below

 pre-1920 above /1918-19 below photo per Jim Martin
a Swede Design
3520-3524 Sheridan Road in 1924
image - Art Institute of Chicago
Sheridan Road/Aldine Avenue in 1926

image of the building in the article
vs the building next door - both Tudor Gothic in design 
 
Sheridan/Brompton Place in 1923

 
Sheridan Road/Grace Street in 1926

Sheridan Road/Pine Grove in 1926
The 637-41 Aldine Avenue in 1929
The 424-30 Briar Place in 1926
3240 Sheridan Road in 1926 (inner LSD)
The Chicagoan - ad below
3318 N Sheridan Road (inner LSD)
image below - The Chicagoan
The Lochby Court Apartments 
1911-1965
Mayor 'Big Bill' Thompson lived here!
once at northwest corner of Belmont & inner Lake Shore Drive
photo - Forgotten Chicago
below blueprint
The Evolution of that Street Corner
 Lockby Hall
This residence was owned by Samuel Chase 
who owned a company that saved the property deeds 
from the Chicago Fire of 1871. 
After the fire his family moved in 1875.

The Lockby Hall was located at Belmont along the existing lakeshore according to this 1894 Sanborn Fire Map
(Belmont Avenue not labeled)
Belmont Yacht Harbor was opened to the public by 1913
(click this 1912 article below to enlarge)
The Lockby Court Apartments
... and its replacement in 1962
Harbor House
a renovated condo in 2018
 photos - Curbed Chicago
The Broadway-Halsted Building
located south of Grace on Broadway 
The Barry Apartments 
image - Ebay
513 W. Wellington Avenue 
(originally 1847 Wellington)
George Rounsavell Residence
 image - Art Institute of Chicago
534 W Wellington Avenue
The Herman Arnold Residence
 3 images - Art Institute of Chicago

339 W Wellington Avenue
Mrs. Montgomery Ward Residence
 built in 1915
alternations in 1925 
 all images - Art Institute of Chicago

The 433-37 Briar Place in 1926
 page 2

 
The 424 Melrose in 1926
 
Financing for 422-25 Melrose 

Melrose/Sheridan in 1927
northwest corner
The Eddystone 
421 Melrose Street
the mega building that wasn't
image - Forgotten Chicago
text below Chicago History Museum
'The Eddystone is located at 521 West Melrose Street in Lake View, with its location highlighted in pink above and below. Designed by Holabird & Roche as the first section of what was also known as the Sheridan Towers cooperative apartment project, The Eddystone had the unfortunate opening date of October 1929, the same month as the great stock market crash. The remainder of Sheridan Towers / The Eddystone illustrated above would never be built. If built it would have been the largest and tallest Chicago apartment building. An examination of The Eddystone reveals it was indeed planned to be a part of a much larger project, most notably its largely windowless walls facing prime skyline and Lake Michigan views where the rest of this apartment building was planned to connect to the Sheridan Towers project. Another building on the planned site of Sheridan Towers would not be built until decades after the completion of this odd and enduring relic of the Great Depression.'
below 1960's photo - Photographic Images of Change 
University of Illinois at Chicago
a Zillow 2020 photo view below
3500 N Pine Grove in 1938
a 2017 Google View

 And then next to it in 1948
The 3520-30 Pine Grove
a 2017 Google view

The Meekerville in 1940
currently a historical district


The Estate on Barry Avenue
between Sheridan Road & Lake Shore Drive
A High-rise Replaces the Mansion in 1962

3470 Lake Shore Drive
28 story condo building 
(total of 6 articles)
 ... modern living in 1967
... advertising a condo for
'Festival Home' #67
 ...no need for a doorman
428 W Wellington Avenue in 1960
 2007 view - Google Maps
with a plan of the apartments in 1960

New High Rise at 3950 LSD in 1955
3180 N Lake Shore Drive

Hawthorne House in 1965
3450 N Lake Shore Drive
For decades this property's only occupant were billboards.
but in 1965 and the last high-rise rental on inner LSD
A 1963 advertisement
The 336 W Wellington Building
in 1963






3639 Pine Grove Building
a high-rise 4+1 ype building
Those 4+1's 
 Four Floors & Garage
by Living History of Illinois & Chicago-Facebook
and Forgotten Chicago 
The simplest definition of a Four Plus One is a five story apartment building where the first floor consists of the lobby and a parking lot. It is often cited as a building type that is unique to Chicago. Most of these buildings were constructed during the 1960's to solve the problem of over-crowding due to urban renewal, particularly from the Lincoln Park area. 
 
 
 
 
... a brochure
No More 4+1's Please! - 1968
534 W Wellington
past/present
photo - Art Institue of Chicago
1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance map 
with a pre 1909 address
1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map
by the 1970's the building was replaced by a 4+1
The Age of the Condo 1970's:
3180 N Lake Shore Drive 

  3730-40 N Lake Shore Drive
 
 
3900 N Lake Shore Drive

3150 N Lake Shore Drive
... the layout
 floor plan1 & floor plan2
images - Art Institute of Chicago
The Condo Wars ...
Condominium Brochures:
525 W Hawthorne Place
images - Art Institute of Chicago


 
 

433-437 Briar Place

 
  
444 W Belmont Avenue




photos below of it ...
enlargement- Art Institute of Chicago
enlargement- Art Institute of Chicago
 enlargement- Art Institute of Chicago
534 W Stratford Place
Marketing the Building
 3100 N Lake Shore Drive
Darien Playing Cards

images - Ebay
3900 Lake Shore Drive in 1978
3440 Lake Shore Drive in 1980
 3950 Lake Shore Drive in 1955
... the plans
 
In 1960 ...
ground breaking ...
The 425-39 Aldine Avenue
445 W Wellington Avenue
 image - 2016 Google Maps
Art Institute of Chicago 1951 floor plans
The New York
3660 N Lake Shore Drive
 photos - Chris Cullen 2018
There were to be two buildings but...
What the New York space looked like in 1923
3648-3636 Sheridan Road (inner LSD)
1923 Sanborn Fire Map above of the area
1950 Sanborn Fire Map below
...  in 1987
Back in 1967 there was a plan ....
655 W Irving Park Road
photography by Chris Cullen 2018
1985 article about it


Mariano's on Broadway
The local neighborhood area lost their grocery store in 2005 and waited all most a decade for a replacement.
The drama about this planned development 
'Lake View Booster' 2012 article 
It finally begins ...
Ground Breaking Ceremony 2015
photo - Tom Tunney (alderman)-Facebook
 winter 2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
summer 2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
summer 2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
What was there Before
(a LakeView Historical Facebook album)
and before that per Sanborn Fire Maps in 1950 ...
mostly garages and small businesses
in 1923 ...
The Clark Street Plan of 2013
a long-term plan 
by the Lake View East Chamber of Commerce. This chamber supervises the developments of east & central Lake View
image - Lakota Group
The Clark Street Task Force Map
'A task force seeking to revitalize the street hosted an open house Wednesday night seeking feedback on how area residents, business owners and property owners want to see Clark spruced up. People attending the open house at Century Shopping Centre at 2828 N. Clark posted stickers on a blown-up map of the area to indicate places that needed improvement. And a lot of areas need help if the number of stickers is any indication. Red stickers were placed on buildings that people thought needed beautification or facade updates, and red peppered a good deal of the street. "The buildings are just not that attractive," said Mary Beth Smith, a residential real estate agent and local Chamber of Commerce volunteer.' 
- from an DNAinfo article
the renditions ...
 images - Lakota Group


while remembering the past ...
the photo is of the intersection of Clark/Diversey
3154 N Clark Street
the northwest corner of Clark & Barry

via Curbed Chicago
via Sports Authority
Jemillex B  via Foursquare 

 via Sports Authority
photo below - Chicago Real Estate Local
 ... the old vs the new look for the corner in 2017
via Curbed Chicago ...
3300 N Clark
The Lake View Learning Center
This facility was affiliated with Truman College in Uptown
 the original address location was 3010 N Clark Street
2018 photos - Garry Albrecht
the new look for the corner below
 the TOD planned development 2018
images via Southport Corridor News and Events
the developer scaled downed for the initial plan
How tall should it be??
'Lakeview 3200'
on the northwest corner of Belmont/Clark
2013 photo - Lake View Patch
the first rendition 
2016 photo - Curbed Chicago
the second rendition
The site also lists apartments available for rent — and they're anything but cheap. Available apartments range from a 431-square-foot studio to a 1,452-square-foot two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. Rent starts at $1,525 for a 436-square-foot studio, or $3.50 per square foot, according to the 'Lakeview 3200' website. Topping the list is a two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms that costs $3,800 per month, or $2.62 per square foot. But the building does have great benefits, with a Target downstairs and a two-minute walk to the Belmont Red Line station. On average, the building's 57 one-bedroom apartments will run around $2,300 per month. From a 560-square-foot unit to some as large as 900 square feet, the one-bedroom units average 711 square feet. 
- from an DNAinfo article
construction phase with more photos from Curbed Chicago
2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
 
2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
with more construction pics from Building Up Chicago
age old battle between 'big box' stores & independents
photo + article - DNAinfo
... and the buildings that were razed for it
photo - DNAinfo
Dunkin Donuts was once a hang-out 
for teenagers during the 80's and called reverently as Punkin Donuts
video link
"Ingram describes the group at Punk'in Donuts as a family. He grew up with a single mom who struggled to make ends meet, and his friends at Clark and Belmont helped him navigate his teenage years. "I fit right in," he says. "We looked out for each other. If you were hungry, you were fed. If you needed a place to crash, it was provided. If you needed protection, so to speak, from outsiders that were giving you a hard time, you could find it there. It was a place where we were able to learn certain values that otherwise might not have presented themselves in such a way that we had support, social support, around us."
photo - Lake View Patch
photo - DNAinfo
2013 Google Map view
hanging out in the actual alleyway was popular and the back door entrance the The Alley
 photo - DNAinfo
photo - Max Forster via LakeView Historical-Facebook

  photo - DNAinfo
photo - Lake View Patch
photo above - Lake View Patch
the Dunkin Donuts location in 1950
photo above - Ebay
1990's photo - Andrea DiMaur Walton via 
Forgotten Chicago Discussion Group
 photo below - DNAinfo
Saving the Past with Google Maps
 Look for this blacken box within it is a clock that will expand when clicked. The clock space will highlight years from 2007
Since 2007 Google Maps have a done a great job of saving history with the use a a little known feature I call the 'corner clock'. This Google Map feature is located on the top left side of the computer screen. Click on it and the feature expands into a set of years typically from 2007. Google digitally and typically records the same location each year & sometimes twice a year. If you wish to save let's say an image from 2008 I use another feature called the 'snipping tool' from my computer. The user can find the snipping tool through your 'search' tool from the lower left of your computer. The snipping tool icon looks like a small blue scissors circled in a reddish orange. I save the icon on my tool bar on the bottom of my computer screen. Click on 'new' within the the snipping feature and the background screen will fade and a red border once click on screen  allowing the user the cut any portion of the computer screen wanted. Below are the results of the use of both features of the intersection of Belmont and Clark.
 July 2015 

September 2015

both images - September 2015
with the Alley on the right side of snipped screen
 The Alley: One of the Victims
photo below - a Mark Thomas (owner) business card
page - East Lake View by Matthew Nickerson
below 2005 photo of the actual alleyway - Wibiti.com

the first location 
above photo - a Mark Thomas biz card
A business from the era of New Town in Lake View
Mark Thomas-owner on the right with a devoted employee
'The Alley' did not survive the construction phase 
at this location - moved to Albany Park neighborhood
photos - Yelp
2016 photo - Garry Albrecht
waiting to be replaced for another planned development
and once located on Broadway in the late 70's early 80's
Keeping the street-view facade but building up. This building was once a theater - see my post on Theaters Past.
Demo Photos by Martin Gonzalez


The New Look for the Building Space
2016 rendition - DNAinfo
2018 photo - Brian Weber via Original Chicago-Facebook
The Alley reopened as The Alley:1776 for a brief time after at 3223 N Clark across the street of the former space
below photo - Mark Thomas
2941 N Clark Street
a former family style Italian restaurant 
2016 photo - Chicago Cityscape
 2016 transition photo - Google Viewer
... with a new look below
photos - DNAinfo
2016 image - Lake View East Chamber of Commerce
The Addison/Clark Complex
south of Wrigley Field
Addison Park on Clark  2010 plan
across the street to the renovated Wrigley Field 
image above - Streets Blog Chicago
One more inning - was to close in 2014  
photos - Yelp
The Lincoln/Ashland/Belmont 
1994-2018
This area was once known as the most popular commercial district in Chicago before State Street and the Mag Mile.
with an interactive map of all TIF's by 
'Chicago Cityscape' included with this link
the core space to be redeveloped was the 
former La Salle Bank building
The redevelopment of this area took almost two decades
photo - DNAinfo
to a mixed-use development to a finally ...
and its predecessor ...
postcard - Ebay
 CHICAGO, Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Located at the highly-visible and historic triple intersection of Ashland-Belmont-Lincoln Avenues on the city's North Side, America's Healthiest Grocery Store™ is set to dig in to a new location. Novak Construction Company, the project's Developer and its General Contractor, is proud to announce the official groundbreaking ceremony this Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at 3201 N. Ashland Avenue. Construction on this Gensler-designed, ground-up 70,000 square foot store will start this month, replacing the current Whole Foods Market location at 3300 N. Ashland Avenue when complete.
"Activating this long vacant lot, the site of the former La Salle Bank, was a priority for us once we acquired the property," says John Novak, Novak Construction's Founder/President. Reflecting on a time when the neighborhood was known as a bustling shopping mecca for the city, he added, "As the sole tenant, we know Whole Foods Market will not only enhance the community and accommodate the needs of its residents, but also usher in an era of new businesses and activity in this location. We would love to see this project stimulate that kind of growth." The new store will feature a second-story balcony for outdoor dining, additional indoor street-level dining along Ashland, and a vibrant year-round green-wall adjacent to a park setting on Melrose. The new Whole Foods Market location will bring improvements based on the current store's challenges, most notably increased aisle space, additional grocery and prepared food choices, and more parking.


November 12, 2015
photo - Tom Tunney-Facebook
Before Target wanted the space 
It was originally proposed to be a mix-use development called the 'Lakeview Collection'
'The old La Salle Bank building at the northeast corner of Belmont, Ashland and Lincoln avenues has changed hands, and its new owner, Novak Construction Co., has announced plans to build a new development that would focus around a large 60,000 square foot ground floor retail component with 80 to 160 residential units above it, Crain's is reporting. The property has sat vacant for years, and a previous plan to build a mixed-use development stalled out at the height of the real estate crash. Early last year, Target purchased the property, with plans to build a new store at the location, but after sitting on the property for a little over a year, the Minneapolis-based big box retailer decided to dump it this summer. Novak's new plan isn't too far off from Centrum's failed Lakeview Collection, which was supposed to feature 90,000 square feet of retail space on the first and second floors and 131 condo units from the third to the sixth floor. After sitting idle for years, & exchanging hands a few times, it appears that the old building at the busy Belmont/Lincoln/ Ashland intersection may finally be getting some action.'

its various renditions for the space
Then it was Targets Turn
Target was the second planned development pending approval from the neighborhood community in 2013. Target withdrew its offer after community and store failed to agree to mutual planned development. According to a DNAinfo article, '"Chicago is a great market for Target and we continue to pursue new opportunities to serve guests there," Winkels said in a statement. Before the store can open, Target must present its proposal to West Lake View Neighbors, the Lake View Chamber of Commerce and the Community Directed Development Council, according to Bennett Lawson, chief of staff for Ald. Tom Tunney (44th). The proposal will likely need approval from the Chicago Plan Commission and the City Council Zoning Committee to amend the original plans for the building, Lawson said. "We hope to have something to review with the community before the spring [of 2016]," he said.' Target would later build their own space on the corner of Clark & Broadway. Whole Foods two years later ask for this same space according to Curbed Chicago. Check out the design plans for this building with this link as well as this notice for the ground-breaking ceremony. The new store will feature a second-story balcony for outdoor dining, additional indoor street-level dining along Ashland, and a vibrant year-round green-wall adjacent to a park on Melrose. 

the former La Salle Bank
'Target Corp. may scrap its plans for a new store in Lake View, putting a property it had eyed for the project up for sale.A spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based retail behemoth confirmed in an email that the company is looking for buyers for a two-story building it owns at 3201 N. Ashland Avenue in the North Side neighborhood. It's unclear why Target wants to jettison the Lake View property. The company pulled back on spending on new stores in the U.S. last year.' - Curbed Chicago reported this in 2014.
gone from the landscape included ...
 Follow the conversation on this building on Facebook
photo - via Southport Corridor News and Events
The ever changing (Curbed Chicago) planned development  
for this corner continued as of 2015 with opposition of Whole Foods development. In fact, the neighborhood associations of the area were not all that interested in any high-density 
developments in the first place.
a 2016 view
vs a 2019 view
The Many Alterations

According to DNAinfo, 'Developers repeatedly returned to the drawing board over the course of eight months and a dozen meetings, tweaking designs after getting feedback from a vocal subset of the group, named 'Melrose Street Concerned Residents'. MSCR very local organization at the time.
The Google Map Views
of Lincoln-Belmont-Ashland Intersection
Ashland & Belmont intersection in transition
2015 vs 2016
The Google Map Viewer is great historical tool on the changes to a particular area of real estate. The viewer began to record the landscape at this intersection in 2009. 
Snips from Google Maps 2009 vs 2017
 2009 vs 2017
 image 2
  2009 vs 2017
  image 3
  2009 vs 2017
  image 4
  2009 vs 2017
Whole Food closed their small space 
 on 3300 N Ashland Avenue and then became a Target

photo - Pierre-Henri L. via Yelp 2013 
photo - Pierre-Henri L. via Yelp 2013
photo - Willem B. via Yelp 2012

photo - Willem B. via Yelp 2012
Now, a Target
 photo below - NBC News
The New Walgreen's Location
on the corner of Broadway/Clark/Diversey across the street
but first the removal of part of the building
No more pointy thing ...
above photo - Chicago Racked
2013 photo above - Chicago Real Estate
from a Central Savings to Borders and then to a Walgreens
2012 photos above - Lake View Patch
the new building with Walgreens as the new occupant
at the pinnacle of Clark Broadway Diversey
2013 photo - Tom Tunney-Facebook
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
2013 photo - Tom Tunney-Facebook 
before that ...
Walgreen's former location east of Broadway 
with former Borders and Central Savings to the west
where Walgreens is now located
2009 photo - 'Chicagoismyblog'
and before that ....
photo - Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
the Central Savings building 
along with a view of Ace Hardware 
that had an entrance both of Broadway and Clark Street
and before that ...
and before that ... 
photo via Kenneth Joesphson from
Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
across the street was second Walgreens that once was located in the Lincoln Plaza complex 
the former space within the Lincoln Plaza complex
Broadway/Diversey
old walgreens still vacant in 2021
2016 photo - Original Positions
the closed Walgreens that was on the northeast corner of Diversey and Broadway now located across the street
before that it was ...
image - Chicago History Museum 
The Curtiss (Candy) Building 
where Lincoln Park Plaza is located today
with the potential future of that corner below
Since Walgreens decided to move to an existing and renovated space across the street this planned development has been on hold according to the 44th ward alderman's office still as of 2021
2014 planned development at the former Walgreen's space 
photos - Curbed Chicago
 photos via 44th ward office - Tom Tunney alderman


 Center on Halsted & Whole Foods
before the hole in the ground ...
was a public garage and garage for the Chicago Park District and apparent business on the corner
a 1950 Sanborn Fire Map
The facade was saved of the  former Chicago Park District garage to became Whole Foods
The Center on Halsted takes shape

photo above - Center on Halsted
photo below - NewNowNext
the location in 1950 via Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
zoomed view below
What is the Wagon/Wing Symbol all about?
 Google Map 2018 
I found two definitions for it
1) The wagon wheel is symbolic of transportation, successful journeys and expeditions, and also perpetuity. Winged wheels are symbols of peace, flight, freedom and spiritual transport. There are many charges that feature wings which have their own meaning; such as a winged globe as a symbol of the holy spirit. In Heraldry a single wing is called a “demi vol” and usually enjoys the symbolism of the eagle. Associated with Hermes, the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. The winged wheel is also a symbol of progress. 
2) The logo is a synthesis of technology and biology. The wheel might represent technology or artificial power, and the wings might represent biology or natural power. Transhumanists look at humanity's historical relationship with technology and see a trend of persistently increasing inter-dependence and intimacy. Projecting that trend forward, we imagine the distinction between technology and biology fading away, as we integrate it ever more intricately into our world, relations, bodies, and minds. Some have suggested that sufficiently advanced technology may be indistinguishable from biology, and that the best technology is so transparent that we stop referring to it as "technology."
with a zoomed view below
The Halsted Flats 
3740 N Halsted Street
rental units on the west side of Halsted/Broadway
Construction Phase 2013
photos - Lake View Patch

The former site a German-American Beer Garden 
Bismarck/Marigold Gardens
The 'Chicago Out' Hotel
A Neighborhood Association said 'NO' 
to this Planned Development on Halsted in 2013
and it was never developed
the developer's staff and community meet
photos - Lake View Patch
 the planned development stemmed from the vacant storefront that used to be Mark's Chop Suey
2009 photos - Google Map 
its various design looks to win neighborhood association approve, as well as the alderman

 First rendering of the Chicago Out Hotel
images - DNAinfo


Once 'Auto Laundry' Facility ..
before the words 'car wash' during the turn of the 19th century car wash were called auto laundry - believe it not!
photo with enlargement 
- Art Institute of Chicago via Explore Chicago
1934 image - The Chicagoan
 2823 N Halsted Street
The TOD Developments
building along the elevated

As of 2015 ‘the environment has radically changed. Because of the investment that only seems to come with gentrification, Sheffield’s median incomes are now up to four times the national average and violent crime is very low as compared with other city neighborhoods. It is now one of the most desirable places to live in Chicago. Not only does it have an excellent building stock and easy access to Lake Michigan, but perhaps most importantly it has great bus and rail access that provides its residents quick access to the Loop’s hundreds of thousands of jobs. It is a prototypical transit-oriented neighborhood.’ - Metropolitan Planning Council
An Example of TOD's:
3400 N Lincoln Avenue
along the tracks
2014 photo - Curbed Chicago - Lake View 
 2014 rendition - Streets Blog Chicago
revised 2015 renderings below - Curbed Chicago
1418 Addison Street
 from single family to muli-rentals

the evolution via Google 
2007 view
2016 side view
2018 view
the final result in 2019
506-514 Diversey Parkway
 
images via Lake View Patch
Parkway Point in 2013 renamed Parkway East in 2014
 2016 rendition pdf via Tom Tunney alderman office
with a vintage building between the two
2016 rendition pdf via Tom Tunney alderman office
2016 rendition pdf via Tom Tunney alderman office
2017 photo below - John Keating Jr. 
via Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
photo - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
photo - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
and a vintage building remains in the middle
Broadway/Sheridan Road
3901 N Broadway
from a gas station to apartments
the gas station on the northeast corner 
is removed from the landscape
photo - Mark Zipperer
renderings - DNAinfo
a 2015 Google view    
mid 2017 photo - Garry Albrecht
 photo - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
 photos - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
and then south across the street ...
3817- 45 N Broadway 
planned development 2015 photo - DNAinfo
photo via Chicago Cityscape
 replaced by the development on Sheridan Road
photo - geoview info
 replaced by the development on Broadway
photo - DNAinfo
Issac G. Ettleson Building
facade was to be saved & reused as part of the new building
1987 photo -  Equinox27 via Flickr


the terra cotta details - Chicago Designslinger 

Betsy Rubin via Facebook 2013
Angela Larson via Facebook 2014

both photos from Mike Butland via Facebook 2016
2016 photo - Carey Wintergreen
2017 Google Maps
the removal of the terra cotta was permanent 
2017 Google Maps

 2017 Google Maps

mid 2017 photo - Garry Albrecht
mid 2017 photo - Garry Albrecht
photo - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
photos - BuildingUpChicagoDotCom
The terra cotta is back in 2019!!
2019 photo - Chris Cullen Photography
2019 photo below - Uptown Update
2021 photo below - Carey Wintergreen
3924-28 N Sheridan Road
photo - Chuckman Collection
the first rendition - Curbed Chicago
the second rendition - what a change!
This Transit-Oriented Development near the Sheridan Red Line Station will replace Hampton Apartments
a more modern look below - Cragin Sping via Flickr
According to Uptown Historical Society the building will be saved and rehabbed in 2019.
Now on the opposite corner ...
3911-3921 N Sheridan Road
2017 Goggle view
photos - DNAinfo


 and across the street ...
Google Map view 2009 vs 2017
Industrial look to Residential
The former Craftsman Plating & Tinning Company
1240 W Melrose Street
The property stretches from Melrose to School Street

 and what it replaced ...
 the truck entrance on Melrose - 2018 photos
vs the view from School Street
The Belmont 450
450 W Belmont

construction phase
before - the twin apartment buildings
A Hotel Evolution 
on Diversey/Clark
postcard - Chicago History in Postcards

 Days Inn to the Hotel Versey
"The new name Hotel Versey pays tribute to its original namesake The Diversey Arms, while playfully fusing in a tie to the hotel’s V-shaped structure of its triangular city block, on the highly visible corner of Clark, Broadway, 
and Diversey Parkway." 

and on the opposite corner in Lincoln Park ...
 on the southeast corner of Clark & Diversey
2017 image - Chicago Tribune
in transition -  via John P Keating 
Forgotten Chicago-Facebook

2017 image - Chicago Tribune
vintage images of the same corner below:
J.J. Sedelmaier via Forgotten Chicago-Facebook 
and from TrolleyDodger below
2950 N Sheridan Road
a vacant property for centuries
 
photos - via Curb Chicago Lake View
2016 photos - Garry Albrecht
more construction pics from Building Up Chicago
Artis Senior Living
former space for Bert Weiman Ford
3535 N Ashland
Phase Plans
famous for their late night commercials in the 1970's
closed in 2006
one of their several commercials
the space transition ...
 a demo view below -  mysore.blogspot.com
2009 view north from Addison
2017 view north from Addison
2019 Googles views
945 W Belmont
hugging the tracks - a TOD  


the before view

Howard Brown Health Clinic



 The building it will replace ...
This building was once the home of one of the first gay bars on Halsted, Little Jim's. A separated building on Cornelia adjacent to the soon to be demolished building was
 home of Cornelia's Restaurant 
- it had various names in the last 2 decades.
Broadway/Cornelia/Stratford Area
Google Earth photo via 44th ward office
This development is of special interest to me due its location to my studio on Stratford Place (525) and a frequent shopper.
Treasure Island was once located at 3460 N Broadway. The entire grocery store chain closed in 2018. The store was established at this location in 1963 as their 'flagship' building.
 2009 photo - Google Maps
 2018 photos - Google Maps
The area via a 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
 It would appear the Treasure Island building 
was cut out of a Stratford Garage.
The Garages
images - Chicago Daily Tribune 1921
a 1923 view
 a 1894 view
The first renditions of the property was presented in July 2019 
to community residents for initial approval.



the corner of Cornelia Avenue and Broadway 
and then revised ...
The surrounding community has always be concern with density/parking/public services. The developers presented in January 2020 a revision at Sholom Temple. The community wanted a reduction of floors and brick to match the brick of the surrounding buildings. What was lost was the open spaces 
along Broadway.
 photos - me, garry albrecht
the changes via 44th ward website/Optima






the teardown phase 2020
 photos - Owen Keeshen

And next Door ...
3140 Broadway
the parking garage south of the former Treasure Island once called the Cornelia Garage, once owned by the owners of TI
view north toward TI
view south from TI parking lot
view of the TI parking lot north
view north of the existing hotel
view south of the new TI development
back courtyard with older hotel on the right
construction views  2021
photos - Garry Albrecht
835 W Addison Street
old vs new
This is a proposal to turn the Lake View Lutheran Church, which has a smaller congregation than in the past, into a mixed use-church and disability accessible rental building. This development will serve residents at or below 30% of the area’s median income with accessibility needs, which is a hard to serve population.  It is an opportunity to provide affordable and permanent supportive housing in this location.
The community room is for basically for congregants 
Southport Avenue Developments:
3200 N Southport Avenue
the northeast corner of Southport/Belmont


2017 photo below Southport Corrridor News & Events
what was there before
for more developments along Southport Avenue visit 
3401-09 N Southport
but not until 2020
with the latest 2018 rendition
 
images via Southport Corridor News & Events
what was there before
3150 N Southport 
what was there before ...
3334 N Southport Avenue
2017 photo - Google Maps
what was there before
Herdegen Brieske Funeral Home 
development pending since 2015
 aerial view of the area
aerial photos via DNAinfo

a Google Map view 2017

photo - via Adam Rodriguez FC FB 2018
included the space behind the funeral home 
the renditions below
 images - Curbed Chicago
photo below - Chris Cullen 2020
City Club Apartments
3636 N Lake Shore Drive
2020 Google view
There have been several renditions
#1 in 2007
referred to as New York II
#2 in 2019 with a crown on top
#3 in 2020 minus the crown
with a slightly different look on the lower building in 2021
UPDATE 2/2021: The developer is currently meeting with East Lake View Neighbors to review this proposal.
UPDATE 4/2020: After many months, an agreement has been reached between the developer, City Club Apartments (CCA), and the New York Private Residences (3660 N. Lake Shore Drive) regarding ingress, egress and other traffic and use issues.- 46th ward news
what was there before
more to follow on this address ....
3172 W Clark Street
northeast corner of Clark & Belmont
and always a bank building
2021 Google photos
along BelmontAvenue
along Clark view north
parking lot and drive-through(entrance on Clark)
Broadway to the left & Belmont to the right
detail photos by me
the entrance on the corner
with a side view off Belmont below
What the corners will Look Like
Some Former Occupants
collectables from my collection
Lake View State Bank
the first one

Belmont National Bank
the second one
Problems with Occupancy Maybe??


Post Notes:
The Affordable Housing Issue 
Affording housing in the City of Chicago has been an issue for more decades. SRO's have been converted to 'market-rate' housing or a small percent of any particular new development that was to be reserved for the poor or seniors. In my blog post called 'Hotels to B&B' I mention how several former apartment-hotels constructed during the early part of the 20th century were by the end of the 20th century in decay while milking rent from the residents with
sub-standard buildings.
photos - DNAinfo
In 2014 a private company sold their property in the city due to a change in policy. Seniors in they 80's and 90's were given a timeline to leave. Like the SRO residents the year before these senior residents on Pine Grove & Barry avenues protested. While the 4+1's are to be sold to a private developer the seniors have the time to move until the alderman step in and slowed the process of conversion. The photo below was a protest at the Abbott Hotel-SRO in 2014.
 In my opinion, Lake View is no longer the place for affordable housing for the poor or seniors.
Existing Affordable Units 2017:
Crowder Place
3801 N Pine Grove Avenue
photo - Chicago Cityscape
Mulvey Place
416 W Barry Avenue
photo - Apartment Home Living
 The De-Converting Era by 2017
According to Crain Chicago developers much like Golub Capital-middle market lenders have been scouting the Chicago market for opportunities to turn condo buildings back into rentals, reversing the condo conversion trend that dominated the city in the 1970's and 1980's. Amid high condo prices back then, developers could buy whole apartment buildings and sell them for a profit individually as condos. “Big-time players are looking at prices and saying, 'I think we could buy this building lock, stock and barrel and make money by running it as an apartment building,'” says Chicago attorney David Sugar, a partner at Arnstein & Lehr- chairman of the firm's condo law group. “Hopefully, condo boards will figure out that they can make 50% more selling to these apartment idiots chasing a bubble,” says David Ruttenberg, principal at Marc Realty Residential, a Chicago-based apartment landlord. 
“Hopefully, I'm the fool they call.”
The Wave
420 W Belmont Avenue
2016 Google Maps
 According to Curbed Chicago condo de-conversations continuing to hold steady as the most lucrative sector of Chicago’s real estate market [as of 2017], the complicated process of “de-converting” existing condominiums into freshly refurbished rental units is gaining popularity. One such project in the Lake View neighborhood is ready to start welcoming its first tenants. Situated at 420 W. Belmont, the 206-unit Wave Lake View apartments occupy the 30-story 1967 tower that was once known as Bel Harbour condominiums. The largest Chicago deconversion project to date, Wave comes from New Jersey-based developer Strategic Properties of North America.
 image - Curbed Chicago
The Floor Plans for a studio to two bedrooms


 photo - The Wave website
 photo - The Wave website
  photos - Yo Chicago
Once it Was There and Now its Not:
Sanborn Fire Insurance & Google Maps
How many times have you walked by a particular location and noticed a new building or vacant lot and wondered what was there before. Sanborn Fire Maps were the equivalent to Google Maps of today. It was a time machine of the past of former structures within a given area illustrated not by computers but by human hand on sheets of paper. It and was a necessity for city departments like Fire and Sewer as well as private insurance companies. The sheets below have been zoomed & edited for this section. The map sheet used in this example is from sheet #84 from volume 9. These maps are a wealth of knowledge for researchers & historians like me. 
 1894
 1923 vs 1950
Google Maps
The Google Map Viewer (2007- present) is great historical tool on the changes to a particular area of interest for real estate research and documentation The viewer can be located if you float the cursor over the top left area of the Google map. Within the black rectangular area is a small clock icon that will expand into a timeline that begins in 2007. Read more about future developments in the neighborhood at Curbed Chicago/Lake View. View this interactive map about the commercial and residential zoning in the city that includes planned development sights. and then this interactive map view of all the sales in the city. Read and view the different types of dwellings of the area through the eyes of Chicago Architecture Data.
Check for Future Planned Developments
most of Lake View is in the 44th as of 2020
but only a smaller northern section is in the 46th
and a smaller section is in the 34th
and 46th Ward ...



Important Note: 
These posts are exclusively used for educational purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
 
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