One small Andersonville block is about to trade tailpipes for patio vibes. Starting next month, Catalpa Avenue between Clark and Ashland will shut down to cars so crews can rebuild it as Elise Malary Plaza, the neighborhood’s first permanent car-free plaza. After years of meetings and back-and-forth among neighbors and merchants, construction is set to begin in May, to reopen the space for markets and events by the end of 2026. The short commercial stretch along the Clark Street corridor will get benches, landscaping and new lighting, as city officials pitch the makeover as a way to boost walkability and support local businesses.
Contract, schedule and who’s building it
Work is scheduled to kick off in May under a roughly $2.7 million city contract awarded to Sumit Construction, according to Block Club Chicago. The outlet reported that Ald. Andre Vasquez’s office says the contract clears the way for crews to mobilize next month. City officials are planning for on-site activity through the construction season, with an optimistic target of wrapping major elements of the project by year-end.
What the plaza will look like
The final design from the Chicago Department of Transportation and the 40th Ward closes the block to vehicle traffic and rebuilds it with pavers, raised planters, shade structures, catenary string lights, benches and bike racks, according to the 40th Ward. Plans also call for a new traffic signal at Berwyn and Ashland tied to a larger Ashland Avenue resurfacing project, and designers scaled back the plaza’s identifier elements after community feedback. The layout is intended to host markets, small concerts and neighborhood programming while keeping access to nearby storefronts intact.
Named for Elise Malary
The plaza will carry the name Elise Malary Plaza, on a block that already received the honorary designation Elise Malary Way in 2024 in memory of the late trans activist. Malary, who died in March 2022, helped found the Chicago Therapy Collective, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Supporters say the naming recognizes her efforts to make Andersonville more welcoming for transgender and queer residents and roots that history in a public space the neighborhood can actively use.
Traffic, market and neighborhood trade-offs
City planners say a traffic study found that nearby east–west streets can handle cars diverted from Catalpa, and that the car-free plan won endorsements from local leaders in 2023, Block Club Chicago reported. The Andersonville Farmers Market was temporarily relocated in 2025 to make room for construction staging, with organizers expecting the market to return once the plaza is finished. Businesses along Clark will lose a short run of curbside parking, but merchants and the 40th Ward contend the trade-off should bring more people on foot, expanded outdoor dining and flexible space for events.
How this fits Chicago’s plaza push
Elise Malary Plaza is part of a broader Chicago Department of Transportation push that has turned underused curb space and dead-end streets into People Spots and permanent plazas across the city. Coverage of CDOT’s Make Way for People initiative has found that these projects can lift foot traffic for nearby businesses and carve out room for markets and community programming, as documented by Grid Chicago. Neighbors can expect intermittent lane closures and detours while crews are on-site, and are being urged to keep an eye on local outlets for final construction staging details, market plans and midsummer programming as schedules are adjusted around the work.
