31 December 2001
Uptown residents rallied in protest against plans to convert the former Loren Miller/Goldblatt's department store and adjacent Leland Hotel, both disused, into condominiums, the Chicago Tribune reported. The protesters included members of the Community Of Uptown Residents for Affordability and Justice (COURAJ). The formal redevelopment proposal by Joseph Freed and Associates was expected to go before the Chicago Community Development Commission in January 2002.
December 2001
WTTW reported that a developer plans to purchase and demolish the historic Rainbo Gardens on Clark Street near Lawrence Avenue. Demolition and construction of new residences on the site were expected to begin before the end of 2002.
7 December 2001
Demolition of the Peoples Theater, 1620 West 47th Street, has been completed. The theater, which opened in 1919, was designed by famed Chicago architects George and C.W. Rapp. It featured a classical moderne façade and was a familiar landmark of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
17 October 2001
The Chicago Tribune reported that developer Joseph Freed & Company has purchased the historic Carson Pirie Scott department store building from Saks Incorporated of Birmingham, Alabama. The building, located at State and Madison Streets in the Loop, was built in 1904. and designed by renowned Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Freed & Company plans to renovate the upper floors of the building for use as offices, as well as part of the structure's landmark exterior. Carson's has agreed to complete a $17 million renovation of the store as part of the deal.
27 July 2001
Prospects for the restoration of the historic Uptown Theater brightened with the announcement that arts philanthropists Albert and Maria Goodman, on behalf of the Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation, have made a $1 million gift to support the activities of the newly organized Uptown Theatre and Center for the Arts not-for-profit organization. A press release stated that the donation would be used to help "kick off the campaign for the restoration" of the theater.
21 June 2001
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the city of Chicago has decided to retake control of Block 37, the mostly vacant Loop property bounded by State, Randolph, Dearborn, and Washington Streets. The move followed the collapse of an April 2000 deal between the city and developers that would have used city money to help finance the construction of a hotel, condominium tower, and department store on the site. Once it regains ownership of the property, the city plans to request new proposals for its redevelopment. Two historic movie palaces, the Roosevelt Theater and the United Artists Theater, Hillman's department store, the legendary Bensinger's billiards and bowling center, and several other structures once occupied Block 37. Despite the objections of preservationists, the movie palaces, along with the other structures, were demolished over ten years ago to make way for redevelopment that has yet to move beyond the planning stages.
23 May 2001
The renovated former Boston Store department store along Madison Street between State and Dearborn reopened as a Sears store.
1 April 2001
The renovation of the former Boston Store department store along Madison Street between State and Dearborn has progressed to the point of the installation of interior light fixtures and the framework for three new canopies. Completed in 1917, the structure housed the store until it closed in 1948, followed by a mix of offices and ground-level retailers. Current plans are for a Sears store to occupy the lower floors of the structure once the renovation is completed later this spring.
20 March 2001
For the second time in five years, the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois placed the Uptown Theater on its annual list of the state's "Ten Most Endangered Historic Places."
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