A 121-year-old Lake View greystone has gone from neighborhood facade to construction pit in a matter of days, clearing the way for a two-home replacement near the Southport Corridor. The teardown is the latest small-but-visible example of Chicago’s old residential fabric giving way to private redevelopment.
As reported by Chicago YIMBY, the 1905-built house survived only about a week after its demolition permit was issued in July; a follow-up visit Saturday found a hole in the ground. Carlos Group handled the demolition at a reported $20,000 cost, after the permit sat pending in the city’s data portal for 78 days. Coen Developers LLC bought the property for $1.575 million in June and filed plans for a three-story-plus-basement frame building with two units. Michael Cox & Associates is listed as architect, while Coen plans to act as its own general contractor.
Chicago’s public demolition-permit database covers wrecking permits issued from 2006 to the present and is updated daily, giving residents a searchable record of the city’s teardown pipeline.
Two New Homes And A Rooftop Deck
The replacement plan is packed with the kind of extras that make a two-unit project read more like a pair of private homes: a rooftop deck and pergola, rear covered decks and a detached three-car garage. The garage would get its own roof deck and pergola, reached by a stairway, while the lot is slated for six-foot wood privacy fencing and a five-foot wrought-iron fence. The purchase price and 1.5-to-1 parking ratio suggest the residences will likely be marketed as for-sale condominiums.
Lake View’s Greystone Debate Keeps Growing
That demolition arrives as preservationists and local officials debate whether parts of West Lake View need stronger protection. The 44th Ward office says a proposed landmark district effort began after residents on the 1300 block of Newport raised concerns about the concentration of historic greystones and brick flats.
This is not the only Lake View greystone recently lined up for a two-unit replacement. In March, Chicago YIMBY previously reported that a 1910 greystone at 3617 North Magnolia Avenue was slated for demolition and replacement by a two-unit building with a three-car garage and roof deck.
For the Cornelia site, new construction is expected to begin immediately, leaving the block with two planned residences where a century-old facade stood just days ago. The old greystone is gone; the replacement project is next.
