Our inner child shed some tears today when we discovered ongoing demolition activity at 208-12 N. 21st St., a building we visited many times back in the day when it housed the Please Touch Museum. We've known this was coming for the last few months, but that didn't make it easier to see it in person.
As you can see, it's not just our sense of nostalgia that makes this building's demolition a darn shame. The facade has some nice original details, but the intact original stone sign for Wallace Storage & Carpet Cleaning Co. has made this building stand out from its surroundings for a century. As we told you previously, an eight home project from US Construction will rise in place of the building. JKRP Architects did the design work, and a cornice-like detail above the first floors of the three homes on 21st Street will reference the stone sign on the soon-to-be-demolished building. It's a fine thought, but the new construction certainly won't have the same character as the old building.
Looking at the demolition from the north, you can see the incredible depth of the building. This makes sense, as it once contained a treasure trove of adventures for little kids. But it's still impressive to see just how far the building goes back from the inside out.
We'd guess that the contractors have been tearing down the building for a week or two, and they still have plenty of work ahead of them. If you have a connection to this building and want to see it one more time before it's gone forever, we suggest making your way to the Logan Square neighborhood at some point in the near future. Because before you know it, the building will be gone and some very expensive homes will be here in its stead.
