Nov 25, 2008 1:41 pm US/Central
Park To Take Place Of Harry's Hot Dogs Downtown
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
The Daley administration and a major developer are promising a makeover for one of the oddest corners of the Loop.
City officials said the John Buck Co. is close to deals to buy three buildings at the northwest corner of Randolph and Franklin. With a subsidy from City Hall, Buck would replace the small buildings with a public plaza that would benefit tenants in two of the company's future office buildings.
Among the buildings to be razed is the Showman's League of America home, the corner structure at 300 W. Randolph. Known for the elephants on its facade, the sliver of a building also hosts Harry's Hot Dogs, which owner Harry Heftman has operated since fast food in the Loop was unknown.
The public space would adjoin a 48-story building the Buck firm is finishing at 155 N. Wacker. It's due to open in mid-2009.
Buck also has filed documents with the city asking for zoning authority to build a 42-story office building at 222 W. Randolph, just across Franklin Street from the proposed plaza.
Under terms the City Council approved Nov. 12, Buck would be in line for $7 million in public funds to create the plaza. City officials said Buck would finance the remaining $12.7 million for the project.
Planning department spokesman Peter Scales said the plaza will create a new place for pedestrians to relax in the Loop. But a critic said the city was using public money to benefit a private developer while removing property from the tax rolls.
"The last thing Chicago needs is another windswept plaza, another vacant lot," Jonathan Fine, executive director of Preservation Chicago, said. "It sounds like a stupid way to go about urban planning."
The Showman's League building is one of the few left in the Loop that date from the 1870s, Fine said. He said it doesn't merit landmark consideration because of severe alterations, but still is more productive than a plaza that would mostly benefit Buck.
John O'Donnell, president of the Buck firm, declined to comment on plans to acquire the properties in the 300 block of Randolph.
Scales said Buck is "pretty far down the line" in acquiring the sites in the 300 block. "They need to close on the deal by the end of the year," he said.
Heftman paused after Monday's lunchtime rush to say he's had no word about a sale of the building where's he's been the ground-floor tenant for more than 50 years. "I don't know what will happen," Heftman said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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