Making Way for MoMo...

Demolition on the two story building on the corner of State and Randolph continues. The building is coming down to be replaced by MoMo (stupid name, cool building). This "taxpayer" building was built in the 40s after the demolition of the Masonic Temple (Daniel Burnham, 1892, image) was taken down in 1939 due to being "outdated".

Last week I shot these images looking down as the building is being "disassembled" piece by piece. The building contained what was until September of this year, the oldest continually operating Walgreens in the entire chain, along with several boarded up shops, and a shuttered movie theater.


Worker with torch cutting steel beams. I am lovin the orange color of the beams.


Debris being dumped into what was the old theater.


The old theater space (known as the Loop Theater, of which there is very little online) in the back of the building. Folks who have been around a while, will tell you about how this theater went from showing legit movies in the 40s and 50s, to "B" movies in the 60s and 70's to finally becoming a porn theater. The space was later used by live theater groups until as recently as 2002.


This morning the building looks even less like it's former self.