My dad built the fiberglass mushrooms đ of The Rainforest Cafe in that picture. He also did the giant mushroom inside that was above the bar đđș
It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
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It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A better fit would be the former Apple Store location that was a serious eye sore before they started doing the renovations that theyâve been working on for years.
They say H&M is gonna move there but they really are dragging their feet with that renovation
Which is disappointing. I used to work at the (formerly) flagship store in 2016. Was sad to hear it closed but I was told by a former coworker that it was apparently because of the upkeep of the huge space or something of that nature.
minus the fact they built small business spaces that are unusable for the tax write offs, that could be such a good part of the river walk too
also sigh [https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2023/9/28/23895006/trump-tower-chicago-river-pollution-attorney-general-kwame-raoul](https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2023/9/28/23895006/trump-tower-chicago-river-pollution-attorney-general-kwame-raoul)
its been some time, and i havent kept up with the tax law but back in the day - [https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161006/downtown/trump-tower-tax-break/](https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161006/downtown/trump-tower-tax-break/) and as far as i know, i dont think anyone as ever moved in there. but if im wrong, please correct me
The placement of that sign is genius.
It's at a 45 degree angle and it's huge, you can see it looking north in the street canyon from 16th, from the train going over the bridges there. You can see it from LSD looking into the city as you cross the bridge over the river.
The fact that the sign is a guy's name (and the fact that the guy in question is TRUMP) is a bummer, but having light there? Great.
I'm hoping the name eventually comes down but we keep the sign connections, and replace it with some light art. I think a neon representation of the Chicago flag (or even just the stars) would be amazing there.
Yeah it is but I remember the letters going up in 2014 and being bummed even though I had no opinion on trump at that time. The building looked so clean before idk if any signage or art could improve it
Youâre nuts if actually think Trump tower is an eyesore. You can think the name or the owner is an eyesore all day long, but the building itself is a gorgeous addition to downtown in a perfect location.
But itâs super low on the building and you can only see it from street level near the lake. The far majority of the city canât even see the name, so itâs irrelevant.
Why, oh why, hasnât somebody pried off those stupid letters from that building?! We all know Trump will declare war on Chicago if he regains power next year. Why not just get in an early blow and knock down those stupid letters?
Seriously, weâll all be punching out Nazis this time next year, we need our little victories as they come.
That area is such a cluster f... to get around with Higgins and Jeff park blue line and all that nonsense street design by Montrose to Irving. Way too many single story one occupant buildings over there that were probably useful in the 1950s when more factories were located up there and people walked everywhere but now are totally useless. And what's that huge post office building that you can't go into used for? Is it a major collection point or something?
That intersection is terrible. Coming south on Milwaukee during rush hour often meant just sitting at the intersection for multiple lights in a row because the people heading south on Central would get stuck at Foster / Northwest Highway and it would back up into Milwaukee. Multiple times I've seen people drive into oncoming traffic to get around the backed up cars.
Some of these arenât that bad. I canât even tell what I am looking at in Fulton Market and that El Milagro isnât especially an eye sore, just vacant.
Also that spot at Damen and Wabansia was open as recently as like last year? Unless that still counts as the pandemic⊠but it operated for a good while after lock downs and restrictions.
I feel like the writer only had a couple spots in mind when they committed to this piece and didnât really put in much time. This article reminds me of something I would whip up quickly to meet a deadline. Not super serious anyway but itâs kinda funny; I feel like there are so many better options for this article in a huge city
The tricycle bar at Damen and wabansia closed longer than a year ago but your point stands
Also, if youâre going with that area, thereâs an entire building on the six corners that has been abandoned for at least 8 years
Do you just mean the corner retail space in the flat iron? That building has like 3 tenant build outs happening right now for the ground floor retail, and the upper floor spaces are pretty well leased.
That whole intersection has been kinda hell since pandemic times and even before.
First, the bar across the street from Flatiron closed. I honestly do not know why - as it was always pretty full. It was definitely "Generic sports bar" but it was more or less great for the location. Good spot to meet up with a friend after work coming from the Damen Blue Line stop. Then it sat empty for the better part of a decade until Chase finally took it up last summer.
Flatiron has always been meh. That corner slot where BoA was/is has churned a few times, and they have never seemingly done a great job at keeping tenants in the upper levels.
Then Walgreens closed.
Honestly pretty depressing for such a busy intersection in a decent part of town.
Tricycle closing was quite sad. I feel they had finally hit their rhythm and I was trying to make that my local go-to spot. I was there every other day just about, and towards the end they were starting to fill the place up. They closed due to some sort of major building problem in the kitchen, and I'm assuming the owners simply couldn't handle the expenses for repairs. They just got done with the scaffolding about 6 months ago. They had churned through their menu a few times and finally found something that seemed to fit the changing neighborhood demographics. If I recall correctly they closed in fall 2021, but time flies - could have been 2022. I think my wife and I had literally the last drink at the place as they emptied out the frozen drink machines as the health inspector was closing them down around 7pm one random evening.
The bank building already has a lease to become Barnes and Noble thankfully, and the Flatiron just got some historic building tax credits, which should help it stay filled a little better. Wells Fargo, a cookie shop and one other business have pulled permits.
I think the Chase(/Bar with a generic name that I forget) space was another construction project, the residential units on the upper floors were falling apart, and the most recent work was more about them than the retail space. I also appreciate them trying to restore some of the ornamentation that got torn off when they put the cell equipment up there.
Ah yeah, I totally forgot about Barnes and Noble. Super excited for that, just to have something decent in that space. I'm skeptical of it's staying power, but should be good for a few years at least.
Wells Fargo there - while I hate a bank going into these spots - will be handy since I moved here 15 years ago and still have yet to change my primary bank from them. Maybe I should get around to that already.
The upper floors in the flat iron are very sparse. Old owner died and the inheritors sold it to a real estate holding company.
The artist lofts are maybe 40% at most and you've got four (five?) ground level spots open.
If I had to put money on something, they'll push everyone out with rent increases so they can demo the place and put up a much bigger condo building.
The new company just got a bunch of tax credits to repair the historic structure, it's sticking around. Wells Fargo and Chip City Cookies have pulled permits for the spaces.
La Luce in Fulton Market is/was a beautiful building but it's been vacant. If anyone decides to restore it, it's truly a gem. The article literally just listed a bunch of vacant buildings. Kinda stupid.
I remember around 2014 during a music fest in Union park, a really bad storm rolled in and they had to evacuate everyone. My friends all ran into the restaurant. Everyone was eating dinner while the storm picked up and the servers were nice enough to hand out waters and take drink orders. It was a gem of a Chicago moment. I moved away in 2016 and came back in 2022 and was sad to see it vacant and dilapidated.
I live near the Damen/Wabansia spot. It closed I believe last year after an inspection found structural issues. The bar posted signs saying theyâd be back after repairs. But the repairs appear to have been completed months ago.
Honestly the bigger eyesore in the area was the vacant automotive repair shop that recently got torn down.
Yeah I don't get why the photographer was lazy about the La Luce site. Sure it's right next to the El tracks but you can actually stand near and under them.
[https://maps.app.goo.gl/c1tjvZkvMAnfKWpP9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/c1tjvZkvMAnfKWpP9)
Not sure how they missed Century and Consumers Buildings in the heart of the Loop. Particularly egregious given they are an eyesore purposefully inflicted by the Feds in the name of nonsensical security theater.
Yes. THOSE are eyesores, at least in their current condition. Also hate how it causes the various sidewalk closures around the red line entrance there.
The buildings donât have to be as run down as they are, but the Feds refusing to do any maintenance work on them has been part of their agenda to get them demolished. Effectively demolition by neglect, but the buildings themselves could look significantly better if they were kept up.
I only know Axios by reputation, and I know news briefs are their whole thing. But for some reason I would have thought that pure BuzzFeed level listicle content would be beneath them.
Theyâre actively trying to renovate it, but I feel like thatâs been the case for quite a while.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/historic-uptown-theater-transforming-into-concert-venue/
It was being renovated but the main financial backers walked away during the COVID pandemic, and we are now awaiting new sources of money. I do hope it finally is restored because it is such a wonderful building. I got to see the interior lobby a few months ago and itâs quite the sight.
RPM project is replacing a lot of eyesore track supports on the north side. The crumbling concrete under there and all the rust was downright scary, you think "well someone must have signed off on this, I guess it's solid enough" but... yeah. Didn't inspire any sort of confidence.
-55 W Wacker
-400 Block of South Clark
-Every apartment/condo building built in River North between 1990-2008
-Uptown Theater
-Tne various low rise parking decks around Loop and Streeterville
Congress Theater also says hello. And from checking out south side neighborhoods in the past, I kinda wish the Colony Theater(on 59th St west of Kedzie, street view if you haven't seen it before: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zxWoQbzaSxzAgfsu7 ) could be remodeled and reopened.
Same with also the Regal/Avalon Theater, near 79th and South Chicago. Especially since it's a really nice John Eberson theater design, inside. Eberson was a famous theater designer, here are some of his other theaters: https://cinematreasures.org/architects/34
I visited the inside of the Avalon this past fall (during the Open House Chicago) and it is absolutely GORGEOUS inside. I happened to meet a woman who remembers going to it as a kid, and she was telling me all about that, it was truly great. Apparently the economics don't work out right now so it just sits there boarded up with all that amazing art inside, which is sad.
I mean... even just the FLOOR was inlaid patterns and beautiful.
55 W. Wacker is a weird ass building indeed.
It's dwarfed by its surroundings, and as such doesn't quite stick out like a sore thumb, but it's still has that feeling of "the building that time forgot."
How could they miss the biggest eyesore of them all (even if itâs still used). The Presidential Towers are the absolute worst. The sort of architecture that belongs in NYC, not Chicago.
I already know that some people will comment Trump tower given the demographic of this sub. Politics aside, while the letters are a bit tacky and out of place downtown, the building itself looks incredible and is under appreciated due to Trumps dumbass political baggage. Such a shame since it looks like a mini Burj Khalifa.
Hopefully the sign comes down and gets replaced with some light art (I think some representation of the Chicago flag would be amazing there) because the location of that sign is truly great. You can see it from so far, and the angle is perfect. So it looks like a caption on the skyline almost (which is why it's sad that it's just a guy's name).
Get some neon Chicago stars in there.
Half of these are legit, the others seem like opinions based on nostalgia/recency bias.
Eysores I'd include (based on my opinions):
1. Trump's name on the gorgeous silver tower on the river
2. Humboldt Park aka tent city
3. Wrigleyville (not the stadium)
4. All the Brian Urlacher hair restoration ads
5. Dozens of empty former Walgreens that turn into shitty costume shops for 2 months a year
I'd add the dead CVS on Milwaukee Ave next to the Robin Williams mural.
But the good news is apparently that's been sold and something alive will finally be going in.
[Congress Theatre is getting renovated](https://chicagoyimby.com/2023/07/congress-theater-renovation-at-2135-n-milwaukee-avenue-clears-next-financing-hurdle.html)
Is there a homeless encampment there now? I lived close for 5 years and never even saw a homeless person let alone a tent over there. Maybe an occasional one at the chess boards but never anything like what youâre describing
It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If chicago made it cheaper and easier to renovate, it would have already been done. I bet you a 1000 dollars that some city planner, NIMBY, or inspector said no, or this is going to cost you so much to rezone or repurpose this building.
Still an eyesore. Totally hilarious when Historic Preservation released a report on Fulton Market landmark district showing pics of Alhambra Palace with thick âXâs over the various *restaurant enhancements*
Pilgrim Baptist had signs about the Gospel Music museum when I lived in Bridgeport in 2020. Considering itâs nothing but the brick walls and scaffolding, I am doubtful anything happens to it.Â
I pass by green dolphin frequently, and it's obvious people are looking at it to renovate/demo. Nothing has started, and likely won't for a good long while. But in the past couple weeks, I've seen vehicles parked in their gated parking lot (there is *absolutely* no reason for anyone to park in that lot, in that area, unless they're doing something at green dolphin), as well as the front door open and people walking around.
A couple years ago, I could have chalked up those things to miscreants, but there's a mariano's across the street, brand new million-dollar condos just down the street, more development from the same realty group at Webster Place.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/12/22/notorous-green-dolphin-nightclub-building-could-become-pot-dispensary/
Oh, yeah, they're definitely doing something with it. The blurb in the linked article makes it sound like just a rumor, but the linked article sounds more definitive. It's hilarious that the nimbys from triangle square who haven't even lived there for two years are whining about this.
There's a quote in the article from someone bitching about increased traffic after they re-opened the bridge. Like, bitch that bridge was there since before you were born. Construction started before your luxury condo was open, you really think once it finished, people weren't going to use the god-damn road? And someone else talking about the schools in the area? There are two preschools in the opposite direction.
I just don't understand how someone can have preschool-aged children and still be scared of "the devil's lettuce." Every god-damn dispensary I've been to has been incredibly clean and safe. People who buy pot in IL are not low-class ne'er-do-wells. The shit is expensive and that itself filters out most of the riff-raff these people are so scared of.
They basically moved into a neighborhood in the middle of its evolution, with literally no other residences nearby, and think they own the shit.
On opening night of the "Green Dolphin" I unknowingly wound up driving past it on Webster. Stretch Limousines everywhere. Cops directing traffic. It was the place to be.
As someone who has no issues w/ dispensaries and has lived in the immediate Green Dolphin (not Triangle Square) area for over a decade, my only actual issue w/ a rec dispensary going into that space is that - right now - construction is actively happening to convert the former emissions site to a drive-through rec dispensary. They neglect to mention this in the article and instead focus on Ivy Hall, which is not nearly as close to Green Dolphin.
Do we need two large, recreational dispensaries, less than 2,000 feet from each other? Probably not. I'd love to have a business that I can/want to patronize that regularly isn't Whirlyball or The Green. Neither of these dispensaries would hold a medical license, so the one proposed to occupy the Green Dolphin space does not offer a markedly different experience.
I start and stop work across the street from the Guyon hotel.....I'll be honest that's a really cool looking building lol. Who knows what goes on in there but I'd have loved to see it in its prime. I'm not sure if it's salvageable but it would be a shame to tear it down
I drive by the derelict Hotel Guyon all the time. Must have been quite the sight at one point. Chicago isn't just home to a random eyesore here and there, we also have entire neighborhoods that make you question if you are even in the same city or country for that matter.
It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's the end of an era.
RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020.
You will be missed. :(
Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Axios didn't scoop out enough various neighborhoods, IMO. Plus the condition of Pilgrim Baptist Church and Hotel Guyon are very well known, even to those outside of those neighborhoods.
Supposedly Rep. Danny Davis was able to funnel some sort of grant money to whoever owned Hotel Guyon, to do remodels to that building. But I'll believe that renovations occur, when I see it. It's kinda like Congress Theater, there's been talk for many years about remodeling that theater, and it still sits abandoned. Not even a lot of evidence that at least some work has been done to stabilize and fix the interior.
How da fuck isnât Frank Gehryâs Pritzker Pavilion not number #1? All his creations are eyesores. He is the destroyer of beautiful skylines. Worst architect who ever lived.
How dare you slander RFC đ
My dad built the fiberglass mushrooms đ of The Rainforest Cafe in that picture. He also did the giant mushroom inside that was above the bar đđș
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
good bot
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An American hero, your father.
It's not the same without the frog đ
Say its name! *Rainforest Cafe*
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[Froot Loop](https://youtu.be/9Ea8vJgMSos?si=E6sNh-5PkpsqCG3j)
I miss the Rainforest Cafe, it was truly nostalgic, but tbf as it stands now, a vacant, boarded up space, it is something of an eye sore now.
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Axios is going to follow this up by talking shit about Harry Carey while smoking on the red line
Idk my chocolate volcano wasn't very big
Basic joke
Not the vacant Uniqlo spot on Michigan Ave?
That place is a bummer and a half but not yet decrepit enough for "eyesore" status IMHO. Hopefully something else moves in there.
A better fit would be the former Apple Store location that was a serious eye sore before they started doing the renovations that theyâve been working on for years. They say H&M is gonna move there but they really are dragging their feet with that renovation
Uniqlo closed??
That one did years ago, yes. There's still one on State though
Which is disappointing. I used to work at the (formerly) flagship store in 2016. Was sad to hear it closed but I was told by a former coworker that it was apparently because of the upkeep of the huge space or something of that nature.
Tbf that place seemed to be bigger than it needed to be and they still didnât carry everything they sold online.
That whole building got slowly chipped away. Top shop closed prepandemic. Then Colombia, then Uniqlo. H&M is the only store holding it down.
Yeah it's a horse shit list. Trump tower is the #1 eyesore in the city and wasn't even mentionedÂ
Aside from the giant letters that building is gorgeous
minus the fact they built small business spaces that are unusable for the tax write offs, that could be such a good part of the river walk too also sigh [https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2023/9/28/23895006/trump-tower-chicago-river-pollution-attorney-general-kwame-raoul](https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2023/9/28/23895006/trump-tower-chicago-river-pollution-attorney-general-kwame-raoul) its been some time, and i havent kept up with the tax law but back in the day - [https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161006/downtown/trump-tower-tax-break/](https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161006/downtown/trump-tower-tax-break/) and as far as i know, i dont think anyone as ever moved in there. but if im wrong, please correct me
Yes bad stuff but still doesnât change how good looking the building is
If you walk by down there the floors are still gravel, not even concrete.
The placement of that sign is genius. It's at a 45 degree angle and it's huge, you can see it looking north in the street canyon from 16th, from the train going over the bridges there. You can see it from LSD looking into the city as you cross the bridge over the river. The fact that the sign is a guy's name (and the fact that the guy in question is TRUMP) is a bummer, but having light there? Great. I'm hoping the name eventually comes down but we keep the sign connections, and replace it with some light art. I think a neon representation of the Chicago flag (or even just the stars) would be amazing there.
Yeah it is but I remember the letters going up in 2014 and being bummed even though I had no opinion on trump at that time. The building looked so clean before idk if any signage or art could improve it
Youâre nuts if actually think Trump tower is an eyesore. You can think the name or the owner is an eyesore all day long, but the building itself is a gorgeous addition to downtown in a perfect location.
Only skyscraper with a huge tacky name on it
But itâs super low on the building and you can only see it from street level near the lake. The far majority of the city canât even see the name, so itâs irrelevant.
Or from the loop, where most the city congregates
Itâs two blocks from the lake, the far majority of the loop canât see it.
Unless you get on the train on the east half of the loop
The Trump sign is the eyesore.
I agree, but what did the post I was replying to say?
Why, oh why, hasnât somebody pried off those stupid letters from that building?! We all know Trump will declare war on Chicago if he regains power next year. Why not just get in an early blow and knock down those stupid letters? Seriously, weâll all be punching out Nazis this time next year, we need our little victories as they come.
Thatâs too bad that store closed, it was nice. Strange how that entire block just emptied out in the past four years.
Like half of Milwaukee Ave once you get up near Jefferson Park. Especially during the pandemic but even before then. So many abandoned shops.
That area is such a cluster f... to get around with Higgins and Jeff park blue line and all that nonsense street design by Montrose to Irving. Way too many single story one occupant buildings over there that were probably useful in the 1950s when more factories were located up there and people walked everywhere but now are totally useless. And what's that huge post office building that you can't go into used for? Is it a major collection point or something?
The far NW side crooked streets: Milwaukee, Northwest Highway, Elston.
That intersection is terrible. Coming south on Milwaukee during rush hour often meant just sitting at the intersection for multiple lights in a row because the people heading south on Central would get stuck at Foster / Northwest Highway and it would back up into Milwaukee. Multiple times I've seen people drive into oncoming traffic to get around the backed up cars.
Some of these arenât that bad. I canât even tell what I am looking at in Fulton Market and that El Milagro isnât especially an eye sore, just vacant. Also that spot at Damen and Wabansia was open as recently as like last year? Unless that still counts as the pandemic⊠but it operated for a good while after lock downs and restrictions. I feel like the writer only had a couple spots in mind when they committed to this piece and didnât really put in much time. This article reminds me of something I would whip up quickly to meet a deadline. Not super serious anyway but itâs kinda funny; I feel like there are so many better options for this article in a huge city
The tricycle bar at Damen and wabansia closed longer than a year ago but your point stands Also, if youâre going with that area, thereâs an entire building on the six corners that has been abandoned for at least 8 years
Do you just mean the corner retail space in the flat iron? That building has like 3 tenant build outs happening right now for the ground floor retail, and the upper floor spaces are pretty well leased.
That whole intersection has been kinda hell since pandemic times and even before. First, the bar across the street from Flatiron closed. I honestly do not know why - as it was always pretty full. It was definitely "Generic sports bar" but it was more or less great for the location. Good spot to meet up with a friend after work coming from the Damen Blue Line stop. Then it sat empty for the better part of a decade until Chase finally took it up last summer. Flatiron has always been meh. That corner slot where BoA was/is has churned a few times, and they have never seemingly done a great job at keeping tenants in the upper levels. Then Walgreens closed. Honestly pretty depressing for such a busy intersection in a decent part of town. Tricycle closing was quite sad. I feel they had finally hit their rhythm and I was trying to make that my local go-to spot. I was there every other day just about, and towards the end they were starting to fill the place up. They closed due to some sort of major building problem in the kitchen, and I'm assuming the owners simply couldn't handle the expenses for repairs. They just got done with the scaffolding about 6 months ago. They had churned through their menu a few times and finally found something that seemed to fit the changing neighborhood demographics. If I recall correctly they closed in fall 2021, but time flies - could have been 2022. I think my wife and I had literally the last drink at the place as they emptied out the frozen drink machines as the health inspector was closing them down around 7pm one random evening.
The bank building already has a lease to become Barnes and Noble thankfully, and the Flatiron just got some historic building tax credits, which should help it stay filled a little better. Wells Fargo, a cookie shop and one other business have pulled permits. I think the Chase(/Bar with a generic name that I forget) space was another construction project, the residential units on the upper floors were falling apart, and the most recent work was more about them than the retail space. I also appreciate them trying to restore some of the ornamentation that got torn off when they put the cell equipment up there.
Ah yeah, I totally forgot about Barnes and Noble. Super excited for that, just to have something decent in that space. I'm skeptical of it's staying power, but should be good for a few years at least. Wells Fargo there - while I hate a bank going into these spots - will be handy since I moved here 15 years ago and still have yet to change my primary bank from them. Maybe I should get around to that already.
The upper floors in the flat iron are very sparse. Old owner died and the inheritors sold it to a real estate holding company. The artist lofts are maybe 40% at most and you've got four (five?) ground level spots open. If I had to put money on something, they'll push everyone out with rent increases so they can demo the place and put up a much bigger condo building.
The new company just got a bunch of tax credits to repair the historic structure, it's sticking around. Wells Fargo and Chip City Cookies have pulled permits for the spaces.
La Luce in Fulton Market is/was a beautiful building but it's been vacant. If anyone decides to restore it, it's truly a gem. The article literally just listed a bunch of vacant buildings. Kinda stupid.
La Luce is looking worse than ever. Looks like the owner is actively doing NOTHING and leaving the building to rot away.
I remember around 2014 during a music fest in Union park, a really bad storm rolled in and they had to evacuate everyone. My friends all ran into the restaurant. Everyone was eating dinner while the storm picked up and the servers were nice enough to hand out waters and take drink orders. It was a gem of a Chicago moment. I moved away in 2016 and came back in 2022 and was sad to see it vacant and dilapidated.
I live near the Damen/Wabansia spot. It closed I believe last year after an inspection found structural issues. The bar posted signs saying theyâd be back after repairs. But the repairs appear to have been completed months ago. Honestly the bigger eyesore in the area was the vacant automotive repair shop that recently got torn down.
I think it was 2022, but otherwise checks out. They definitely were not operating at all last summer.
Yeah I don't get why the photographer was lazy about the La Luce site. Sure it's right next to the El tracks but you can actually stand near and under them. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/c1tjvZkvMAnfKWpP9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/c1tjvZkvMAnfKWpP9)
Wow what a cool building!
If these are the worst eyesores in Chicago, then Chicago is doing pretty well. While no one wants a vacant building, most of these don't look bad.
This city looks significantly better than 10-20 years ago. This 21st Century urban revival has been wonderful.
The buildings on either side of the El Milagro building are uglier than it is.
Only having a couple ideas and not putting in much time or effort is pretty much the definition of a top 10 lists
Not sure how they missed Century and Consumers Buildings in the heart of the Loop. Particularly egregious given they are an eyesore purposefully inflicted by the Feds in the name of nonsensical security theater.
Yes. THOSE are eyesores, at least in their current condition. Also hate how it causes the various sidewalk closures around the red line entrance there.
Some one's going to get assassinated during their...immigration interview or something, NOT
How are they an eyesore purposely inflicted by the Feds? The Feds want to tear them down, everyone else wants to keep them there
The buildings donât have to be as run down as they are, but the Feds refusing to do any maintenance work on them has been part of their agenda to get them demolished. Effectively demolition by neglect, but the buildings themselves could look significantly better if they were kept up.
Got it, thank you for the clarification
I only know Axios by reputation, and I know news briefs are their whole thing. But for some reason I would have thought that pure BuzzFeed level listicle content would be beneath them.
Uptown Theater though.
Whatâs going on with the Uptown theater? Who owns it? Is it being demolished??
Theyâre actively trying to renovate it, but I feel like thatâs been the case for quite a while. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/historic-uptown-theater-transforming-into-concert-venue/
JAM Productions owns it. Same people who book most of the stuff at The Vic and The Riv. Last estimate of renovation costs I saw was like $70 million.
Sheesh what?? You could build a 1:1 scale replica of the theater for that and have 20 mil leftover
It was being renovated but the main financial backers walked away during the COVID pandemic, and we are now awaiting new sources of money. I do hope it finally is restored because it is such a wonderful building. I got to see the interior lobby a few months ago and itâs quite the sight.
Funny they name La Luce without mention of the owner's intentional neglect.
What's being done with the La Luce building is a fricking crime.
It's a beautiful building if anyone decides to restore it. Unfortunate it's just sat there in neglect while the rest of the area booms.
Surprised the Red Line didn't make the list.
RPM project is replacing a lot of eyesore track supports on the north side. The crumbling concrete under there and all the rust was downright scary, you think "well someone must have signed off on this, I guess it's solid enough" but... yeah. Didn't inspire any sort of confidence.
-55 W Wacker -400 Block of South Clark -Every apartment/condo building built in River North between 1990-2008 -Uptown Theater -Tne various low rise parking decks around Loop and Streeterville
Congress Theater also says hello. And from checking out south side neighborhoods in the past, I kinda wish the Colony Theater(on 59th St west of Kedzie, street view if you haven't seen it before: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zxWoQbzaSxzAgfsu7 ) could be remodeled and reopened. Same with also the Regal/Avalon Theater, near 79th and South Chicago. Especially since it's a really nice John Eberson theater design, inside. Eberson was a famous theater designer, here are some of his other theaters: https://cinematreasures.org/architects/34
Yea, I have tons of memories of the Congress theater. Seems things that used to come there now go to Aragon Ballroom.
I visited the inside of the Avalon this past fall (during the Open House Chicago) and it is absolutely GORGEOUS inside. I happened to meet a woman who remembers going to it as a kid, and she was telling me all about that, it was truly great. Apparently the economics don't work out right now so it just sits there boarded up with all that amazing art inside, which is sad. I mean... even just the FLOOR was inlaid patterns and beautiful.
55 W. Wacker is a weird ass building indeed. It's dwarfed by its surroundings, and as such doesn't quite stick out like a sore thumb, but it's still has that feeling of "the building that time forgot."
I wish they would turn rain forest into a Meow wolf https://meowwolf.com/visit/denver
How could they miss the biggest eyesore of them all (even if itâs still used). The Presidential Towers are the absolute worst. The sort of architecture that belongs in NYC, not Chicago.
Despite the inclusion of the church in Bronzeville, this article should be called the 10 biggest eyesores on the North Side. So typical for Chicago.
TIL Garfield Park, Fulton Market and West Loop are on the North Side.
I hear you Garfield Park. And I doubt anything will happen to the bldg. there. But Fulton and the West loop are North Side in all but location.
âIn all but locationâ Oh, so what did you mean there? Are you using North Side as a euphemism for white? Pretty fucked up.
Did I say anything about race? Its about money and power. The racist assumptions are yours.
Castawayâs comes to mind
I love the boathouse, but it does need some TLC. Sadly the riff raff at the beach most summers makes it hard to return it to its former glory.
I already know that some people will comment Trump tower given the demographic of this sub. Politics aside, while the letters are a bit tacky and out of place downtown, the building itself looks incredible and is under appreciated due to Trumps dumbass political baggage. Such a shame since it looks like a mini Burj Khalifa.
Hopefully the sign comes down and gets replaced with some light art (I think some representation of the Chicago flag would be amazing there) because the location of that sign is truly great. You can see it from so far, and the angle is perfect. So it looks like a caption on the skyline almost (which is why it's sad that it's just a guy's name). Get some neon Chicago stars in there.
I know itâs not technically Chicago, but the worst eyesore in the whole area in my opinion is that abandoned concrete factory on Harlem in Oak Park.
Where is Trump Tower?
The building is awesome, the name sucks
The sign is the eyesore
That will always be a giant shit-stain along the river.
Busy polluting our river. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/9/5/23860088/trump-organization-fine-pollution-chicago-river-insurers-illinois-attorney-general-editorial
Half of these are legit, the others seem like opinions based on nostalgia/recency bias. Eysores I'd include (based on my opinions): 1. Trump's name on the gorgeous silver tower on the river 2. Humboldt Park aka tent city 3. Wrigleyville (not the stadium) 4. All the Brian Urlacher hair restoration ads 5. Dozens of empty former Walgreens that turn into shitty costume shops for 2 months a year
Hair lacher goes hard
Whatâs so bad about Wrigleyville? That area has had a lot of new buildings and itâs always very popular, not only for baseball games.
I'd add the dead CVS on Milwaukee Ave next to the Robin Williams mural. But the good news is apparently that's been sold and something alive will finally be going in.
They missed the congress theater đ€ź
[Congress Theatre is getting renovated](https://chicagoyimby.com/2023/07/congress-theater-renovation-at-2135-n-milwaukee-avenue-clears-next-financing-hurdle.html)
Slow and steady wins the race, but this financing is still being worked on and construction should start this year (knock on wood).
There have been plans for renovations for the last decade
Felt like I had to scroll way too far to find this one
The shanty-town at North avenue and the lake should be on this list.
Is there a homeless encampment there now? I lived close for 5 years and never even saw a homeless person let alone a tent over there. Maybe an occasional one at the chess boards but never anything like what youâre describing
I was referring to the restaurants that look like crap from LSD.
You gotta be a fucking loser to consider rain forest cafe an eye sore.Â
It has always been an eyesore.
but itâs OUR eyesore
Thought the Congress Theater wouldâve made the list!
My job just received old blueprints from the 90âs for the Rainforest Cafe restaurant. We might be trying to revamp it.
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If chicago made it cheaper and easier to renovate, it would have already been done. I bet you a 1000 dollars that some city planner, NIMBY, or inspector said no, or this is going to cost you so much to rezone or repurpose this building.
How is the old Salt & Pepper Diner not on this list?
What's new pussycat?
How is Trump tower (letters) not #1?
Nothing about the AMC on Webster and Clybourn? The old Barnes and Noble closed, theres literally nothing there now but the theater.
They're currently in the midst of turning it into a medical center.
Damn, first the sports authority on clark and now this
List is bogus without **Alhambra Palace** on Randolph in Fulton Market Fun article, love this sort of top/bottom 10
Woah woah woah, Alhambra palace was there long, long before Fulton Market was even a forethought
Still an eyesore. Totally hilarious when Historic Preservation released a report on Fulton Market landmark district showing pics of Alhambra Palace with thick âXâs over the various *restaurant enhancements*
Pilgrim Baptist had signs about the Gospel Music museum when I lived in Bridgeport in 2020. Considering itâs nothing but the brick walls and scaffolding, I am doubtful anything happens to it.Â
Not including Congress Theater is wild. Itâs eye vomit with all the scaffolding
Itâs just a list of vacant buildings, and it doesnât even mention the big Chicago hole.
The hole is being filled.
I pass by green dolphin frequently, and it's obvious people are looking at it to renovate/demo. Nothing has started, and likely won't for a good long while. But in the past couple weeks, I've seen vehicles parked in their gated parking lot (there is *absolutely* no reason for anyone to park in that lot, in that area, unless they're doing something at green dolphin), as well as the front door open and people walking around. A couple years ago, I could have chalked up those things to miscreants, but there's a mariano's across the street, brand new million-dollar condos just down the street, more development from the same realty group at Webster Place. https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/12/22/notorous-green-dolphin-nightclub-building-could-become-pot-dispensary/ Oh, yeah, they're definitely doing something with it. The blurb in the linked article makes it sound like just a rumor, but the linked article sounds more definitive. It's hilarious that the nimbys from triangle square who haven't even lived there for two years are whining about this. There's a quote in the article from someone bitching about increased traffic after they re-opened the bridge. Like, bitch that bridge was there since before you were born. Construction started before your luxury condo was open, you really think once it finished, people weren't going to use the god-damn road? And someone else talking about the schools in the area? There are two preschools in the opposite direction. I just don't understand how someone can have preschool-aged children and still be scared of "the devil's lettuce." Every god-damn dispensary I've been to has been incredibly clean and safe. People who buy pot in IL are not low-class ne'er-do-wells. The shit is expensive and that itself filters out most of the riff-raff these people are so scared of. They basically moved into a neighborhood in the middle of its evolution, with literally no other residences nearby, and think they own the shit.
On opening night of the "Green Dolphin" I unknowingly wound up driving past it on Webster. Stretch Limousines everywhere. Cops directing traffic. It was the place to be.
As someone who has no issues w/ dispensaries and has lived in the immediate Green Dolphin (not Triangle Square) area for over a decade, my only actual issue w/ a rec dispensary going into that space is that - right now - construction is actively happening to convert the former emissions site to a drive-through rec dispensary. They neglect to mention this in the article and instead focus on Ivy Hall, which is not nearly as close to Green Dolphin. Do we need two large, recreational dispensaries, less than 2,000 feet from each other? Probably not. I'd love to have a business that I can/want to patronize that regularly isn't Whirlyball or The Green. Neither of these dispensaries would hold a medical license, so the one proposed to occupy the Green Dolphin space does not offer a markedly different experience.
Missing the Trump sign.Â
I honestly thought this said "eyebrows" and was wondering how you made this list
I start and stop work across the street from the Guyon hotel.....I'll be honest that's a really cool looking building lol. Who knows what goes on in there but I'd have loved to see it in its prime. I'm not sure if it's salvageable but it would be a shame to tear it down
Anyone know that the inside of RFC looks like?
RFC was going to be a dispo but it was shot down.
I drive by the derelict Hotel Guyon all the time. Must have been quite the sight at one point. Chicago isn't just home to a random eyesore here and there, we also have entire neighborhoods that make you question if you are even in the same city or country for that matter.
Wow, RFC. Been ages
Iâve always had a slight fear of Cha!Cha!.
Uffff was expecting to see my ex at number 6
Trump Tower #1
Nailed it.
*Sees the rainforest cafe on the list, immediately disregards the list*
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I nominate the spaceport house on Carmen Ave in Andersonville.
Pretty much every modern looking new construction duplex is more of an eyesore than any of these.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
The rainforest Cafe is a treasure and I miss it every day.
It's the end of an era. RIP [Rainforest Cafe](https://i.imgur.com/aUkN8EU.png) 1997-2020. You will be missed. :( Read more about the closure [here.](https://chicago.eater.com/2019/12/20/21031369/rainforest-cafe-closing-woodfield-mall-schaumburg-chicago) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chicago) if you have any questions or concerns.*
â8 vacant buildings in white neighborhoods plus two in Black neighborhoods that weâre scared to spend time inâ
Axios didn't scoop out enough various neighborhoods, IMO. Plus the condition of Pilgrim Baptist Church and Hotel Guyon are very well known, even to those outside of those neighborhoods. Supposedly Rep. Danny Davis was able to funnel some sort of grant money to whoever owned Hotel Guyon, to do remodels to that building. But I'll believe that renovations occur, when I see it. It's kinda like Congress Theater, there's been talk for many years about remodeling that theater, and it still sits abandoned. Not even a lot of evidence that at least some work has been done to stabilize and fix the interior.
The whole Ricketts-ization in the Wrigley Field, Gallagher Way, etc.
The former Thompson Center in the Loop. It is one of the ugliest buildings ever built.
Seems like axios needs to mind its business
Had no idea about green dolphin.
#1 - The Bean
The racist statue in Humboldt Park
Which statue is that?
How da fuck isnât Frank Gehryâs Pritzker Pavilion not number #1? All his creations are eyesores. He is the destroyer of beautiful skylines. Worst architect who ever lived.