Preservationists Fight for Edgewater's Woodruff Arcade
The Edgewater Historical Society has started a petition to save the Woodruff Arcade at 6361 N. Broadway Ave., according to Curbed Chicago.
The building’s owners have sold the property and the arcade’s tenants are expected to leave by December, according to a DNAinfo report. Borekci Real Estate now owns the property. Curbed Chicago reports that many news outlets have tried to reach the developer but have yet to receive a response.
The development proposal involves a six-story, mixed-use building, according to the Edgewater Historical Society’s petition. If the plan goes forward, 14 Edgewater businesses will be displaced. Woodruff Arcade is home to a Planned Parenthood location, a bookstore, a dental office, and more, according to the DNAinfo report.
The Woodruff Arcade originally opened in 1923. The Edgewater Historical Society argues the glass arcade is the only building of its kind — a style of shopping center that predates most malls — left standing in Chicago.
The building’s new owners have submitted redevelopment plans to Harry Osterman, alderman of the 48th ward, per Curbed Chicago. The alderman has yet to approve the plans. Meanwhile, the petition to save Woodruff Arcade has garnered more than 300 signatures.