Demolition and redevelopment can completely change the face and character of a neighborhood. Chicago Cityscape found 109 demolition permits were issued for projects in Logan Square in 2017, according to Chicago Magazine. Teardowns and redevelopment in the North Side neighborhood appear to be on the rise. In 2012, just 38 demolition permits were issued for projects in Logan Square.

Neighborhoods with a high number of demolition permits include: 

Rendering of a West Town Development courtesy of Prestige Designs

Compared to 2012, the trend in teardowns has reversed itself. That year, Englewood and West Englewood had the most demolition permits — 200 and 164, respectively — of these five communities, according to the report. Lincoln Park had just 49 demolition permits in 2012, while West Town had 66.

Daniel Hertz, a Chicago housing policy analyst with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, noted the trend. “The different peaks in the economic cycle are very noticeable. In the lower-income areas, demolitions seem to have peaked in the years after the recession while in the very high-end neighborhoods, demolitions have dropped very dramatically just in the last year or two,” he said in the report. 

Developers are likely moving away from Lincoln Park, which is already saturated, according to the report. Logan Square is a natural place to look for less expensive buildings for teardown and redevelopment projects. The neighborhood routinely shows up lists of the hottest Chicago neighborhoods, and it has plenty of new ongoing projects drawing attention to it.

Logan Square Projects on the Way 

Congress Theatre photo courtesy of ThomasIrvin

The neighborhood’s long-derelict Congress Theater is set to undergo a $65 million renovation. A boutique hotel is expected to pop up in the center of the community, taking over the former Grace’s Furniture building at 2618 N. Milwaukee Ave. The CTA is mulling over the idea of a transit-oriented development with residential and retail space just steps away from the Logan Square Blue Line station. These are just a few of the developments helping give Logan Square its development hotspot status. 

Demolition and redevelopment, the epitome of the “out with the old and in with the new” philosophy, have another side. The issue of gentrification has become a major talking point in Logan Square, particularly around The 606 trail. Additionally, demolition has come with health concerns for nearby residents, the Chicago Magazine report notes. Inevitably, teardowns change the feel of a neighborhood.

“When buildings are demolished, it’s like a visible wound for a community and oftentimes people see these wounds and read negativity in that,” Architectural historian Elizabeth Blasius said in the Chicago Magazine report. 

As the Chicago Cityscape data shows, demolition comes and goes in cycles. Five years from now, the number of demolition permits in Logan Square will likely be very different.