Today marked the end of an era, which for a short time initially was an idealized vision of a vibrant new development which soon came to be controlled by gangs, drugs and violence. The Cabrini-Green Housing Project as of yesterday will be relegated to history one last time. The final tower was set for demolition. As to the future of the Cabrini-Green site, the CHA announced Tuesday that a new Target store is planned for the northwest corner of Division and Larrabee streets, on the site of another former William Green Homes high-rise.
With newer construction existing to the east in Old Town, to the south in River North as well as Lincoln Park to the north the area acts as a main centralized location for some of the city’s most sought after neighborhood.
The rowhomes on the east side of the lot are still occupied, with a newer construction condo building and park located just across the street. With a Target store, it could bring jobs and bring a store to serve the many residents of Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park, much like the Printer’s Row location did for that area for the Loop / South Loop.
The housing project started attracting much attention when violence started to escalate after World War II, when many of the area factories were closed, leaving many unemployed. Financial problems, maintenance issues and increasing violence attracted the attention of many.
So what will redevelopment of this area bring? The area sees much congestion especially at peak driving times and redevelopment of this area will add to it. Financing, parking and the current city’s budget are all additional issues to be addressed. Furthermore, big box stores and developers have faced many difficulties from area residents in other neighborhoods, such as east Lakeview on Broadway and Surf and redevelopment of Lincoln Park Hospital, although other areas welcomed such stores such as the Target in S. Loop, the newly constructed Whole Foods in Lincoln Park (relocated across North Ave from former site).
See more from the demolition of Cabrini Green:
Time elapse of demolition.
NBC news about demolition.
ABC news about demolition.
Sherwin is a REALTOR® in the Chicago & Suburban area with @properties. Questions can be forwarded to Sherwin Sucaldito. Originally posted at Realty Evolved
Sherwin L. Sucaldito, REALTOR®, GREEN, ABR, CRPM
@properties
The Institute of Luxury Home Marketing
Green REsource Council, GREEN
Accredited Buyer’s Representative , ABR
Certified Residential Property Manager, CRPM
” End of an Era” by Sherwin Sucaldito is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
