Allen Richards' Blog: Addition by Subtraction: Flats No. 800 Clears Some Space.

810 North Clark on the left, 812 North Clark on the right. Soon, they’ll both be on the ground.

WRECK AND REMOVE A 3 STORY MASONRY MIXED USE BUILDING

Taylor Excavating is already on site.

And it was with those words — actually, it was with two sets of those exact same words, because we’re speaking of two individual buildings here — that 810 and 812 North Clark Street were issued their demolition permits by the City of Chicago, thereby clearing the way for the new project filling the 800 block of North Clark Street.

Flats No. 800 is one portion of a new development by Cedar Street Companies. As we reported back in February, Cedar Street is renovating the Bush Temple of Music (800 North Clark Street) into about 100 micro apartments, ranging in size from 350 to 450 square feet.

“Wait” you say. “Isn’t the Bush Temple of Music on Chicago’s historic landmarks list? Not to mention the National Register of Historic Places? If it’s being renovated, why are you showing us these demolition permits? At addresses that aren’t even the same as the Temple’s address? You are confusing us!”

Yes, those are all good points and fair questions. Sorry about the confusion. The demo permits for 810 and 812 North Clark don’t affect Bush Temple, though they are related. For it is in place of those two buildings that Cedar Street is also developing a new 15-story apartment tower. That building, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, will include about 110 new apartments of its own, bringing the total for the entire project to 210-215 dwelling units.

Work has already begun on the restoration and conversion of Bush Temple. And now that demolition permits are in hand for 810 and 812, and with Taylor Excavating’s tools of destruction already sitting next to them, waiting for something to do, it should be a mere matter of days before work gets underway for the tower.