Last Cabrini Green Building to be Torn Down; What Will Take Its Place?

Photo via Project Cabrini Green

Yes, this story is a bit off our beat being several blocks east of Ashland. But Division Street once ran through the heart of the Cabrini Green high-rise buildings, most of which have been turned into abandoned lots after what most agree was a particularly ugly era in public housing.

There's just one high-rise left standing at 1230 N. Burling (at Burling and Division), and demolition is slated to begin tomorrow on the 15-story building. During the next four weeks, the demo process will be broadcast live via webcam here.

As the lights go out on this particular stretch of Division Street, the Museum of Contemporary Art's Project Cabrini Green will commemorate the demolition with flashing LEDs as part of a public art installation. From the project's website:

"On March 28th, two days before the beginning of the demolition, 134 self-contained, battery-powered LED modules were placed inside 134 of the building's vacated apartments. The lights will blink every day from 7pm to 1am CST, for the four week duration of the demolition, and will be gradually erased with the building.

Each blinking light has a unique pattern. These patterns are a visual translation of poems written and recorded by the youth who attended workshops developed and instructed by Tichy, Appel, and students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The project aims to highlight the significant moment of the demolition, while giving voice to young people, enabling them to reflect on social issues related to their communities."

So what will become of the spot? Crain's Chicago reported that Target is in talks with the Chicago Housing Authority to acquire parts of the Cabrini Green land and build a store there. Though Target has not confirmed officially, a Chicago Housing Authority spokesman said that they are "in discussions [with Target] and hope to help bring additional investment to the neighborhood."

What do you think? Can you imagine a big-box chain on the site of what was once one of the most infamous public housing projects in the country? Would having Target in this location be an economic boon for the neighborhood or are there unintended consequences that are yet to be considered?

CVS at Ashland and Division Opens

The long-awaited CVS (1624 W. Division St.) has opened for business as of yesterday. Word on the street is that it's a very spacious and clean location, and they have preserved some of the building's original architecture (the old MB Bank building) with vaulted ceilings, antique hanging lighting and partial marble flooring.

There's also a 33-unit residential project in this building. Last December, Crain's reported that the project's developer was having a hard time selling those units, and converted the project into rentals that go for between $2,500-$4,000 per month. Perhaps this location will breath some new life into this colorful corner, but will it be to the tune of $4,000 per month?

New Pizzeria Projects a Mid-May Opening at 2121 W. Division

When you venture down west of Hoyne, the scene on Division Street starts to taper off a bit. That’s why we were really excited to hear that Armand’s Pizzeria Express will be coming to 2121 W. Division, in the storefront space that was formerly Funkshion, a fashion boutique. (And neighbors to Eye Candy Optics, Wicker Basket Cafe and North Coast Video.)

The spot will be an express version of the original Armand’s Pizzeria, which got its start in Elmwood Park and has since expanded to North Center, Arlington Heights and Naperville. It’s main specialty is pizza, but there’s also a full menu of soups, salads, pastas, sandwiches and desserts, for dine in, carry out or delivery.

Co-owner Nick Dizonno says they haven’t started construction yet aside from clearing out the old space, but they’re gearing up to bring in a 9,000-pound stone pizza oven to make the old-world pies. In the traditional Italian style, the “Pizza Novas” will have extra thin crust and extra virgin olive oil in place of tomato sauce, but there will also be thin crust and pan pizzas as well.

Though Dizonno says he expects the counter-service spot to have a large delivery and carry-out focus, there will be a handful of tables inside and a sidewalk patio for those who want to grab pizza by the slice. Since it won’t be open late-night or serve alcohol, it should be a nice family-friendly addition to the street and will add to the lively sidewalk presence, too.

Armand’s Pizzeria Express will start its hiring process in about a month, so if you know anyone in the neighborhood who is looking, tell them to stop by and say hi.

Event Studio Closing Its Doors

It's always sad when one of the retail spaces along Division Street goes dark. Yesterday we noticed a sign out front of Event Studio (2027 W Division St.) announcing a going-out-of-business sale. It was not all that surprising, as they've been having a 25% off everything sale for what seems like months, leading some neighbors to believe the store was in distress. This assumption was correct, unfortunately -- the last day of business will be near end of this month.

The boutique, which specializes in invitations, home gifts, shower gifts, wedding planning and other event and design consulting services, is headed up by partners Myca Smith and Stephanie Hlina. When reached at the store, which has been open for two years, Smith gave us some background behind the closing.

• They'll be closing for good, unfortunately. There are no plans to move at this time or re-open at a later date.
• The last five months have been significantly more quiet than ever before. "I'm not sure if it's the weather, the snow or what, but the streets have been really quiet," said Smith. She noted that foot traffic was extremely inconsistent and felt a big slump in sales during the second full year of operations.
  
• Hlina and Smith found it very difficult to pinpoint their audience's needs, a refrain that is echoed by many other merchants on Division Street. "It would be snowing, and we'd be packed, then it would be 70 degrees, and we'd be dead," said Smith. "And then the next week, the opposite. You just can never know in this neighborhood."
  
• The pair still intends to do special events in the future. More details can be found by following their Facebook page.

I think its interesting to note that the store opened in 2008 -- at the height of the slumping economy -- yet its first-year sales was significantly better than the second. This is a pair that was focused on serving the neighborhood -- as opposed to being a destination spot -- and the neighborhood support seemed to taper off as the store became less of a novelty. There are, of course, time-tested mainstays in the neighborhood when it comes to dining, but for boutiques, does Division Street skew toward the new? How does one stay relevant in this fickle neighborhood? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Best of luck to the team at Event Studio.