Yeah, it's the Central Drugs building that's coming down, part of the 'runway protection zone' work for MDW. Two buildings at 55th & Central and one at 63rd & Cicero are next.
The building is known as the "Crane & Moreland" building and was built in 1927. It was originally an office for the Clearing Industrial District. Crane & Moreland was a real estate company and also built many houses in the area. It's listed on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey as a building with some historical signifigance, but apparently not enough to stop its demolition.
There is an online petition to save the building, if anyone was interested:
Posted by:
Berwyn Frank
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: November 19, 2011 06:48PM
This is VERY upsetting. When I was a kid my mother owned a business on the south side and we used to pass that building every day to get there. It may have been that [i]very[/i] building that got me interested in Chicago's past. I was about 15 years old and used to sit and wonder how it looked when it was built. What a shame......
I have to say, Chicago mayors, ESPECIALLY Richard J. Daley, seem to have/had little regard for Chicago's historic built environment. In the eyes of some people, "progress" is represented by new buildings that are built or making way for "green space." There is nothing "green" about razing an old building. Add to this the Great Recession that we have been in for a few years now has been devastating to Chicago's built environment, particularly in the poor areas on the west and south sides. I took a ride up Pulaski from Roosevelt to North Ave. and back down Kedzie and was shocked at the amount of properties that are in the final stages of their lives. Many are boarded up, and in some cases, literally falling down. The City of Chicago seems very eager to raze them at the first signs of deterioration. The banks that own these foreclosed properties have been no better. They have neglected them to the point that there is little left to save. This whole situation is very unsettling and I believe that there will be many unintended consequences in years to come.
It makes me really sad and angry when I hear stories of residents and businesses having their homes, their property, ripped out from under them like this. There must be a way to ensure airline safety while preserving the integrity of the neighborhood, afterall, Midway and the surrounding neighborhood have co-existed for a very, very long time.
The funny thing is that the other 3 buildings mentioned in the article are by no means a threat to airline safety, so the motives of this acquisition are unclear.
We, at the Clear-Ridge historical Society are going to see what we can do regarding this demolition. I did however speak to a retired pilot who explained to me in great detail just how that building on 63rd and Central affects the air traffic. It actually does affect the takeoffs, when they have to use that particular runway, in that the planes by code have to be a bit lighter on takeoff and have to lift off a bit earlier because of the building.
I do not fully understand why it is these buildings. There are several others nearby or behind these structures. If these are being knocked down for safety reasons, what's to stop them from fully destroying even more buildings and property around Midway.
bowler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The funny thing is that the other 3 buildings
> mentioned in the article are by no means a threat
> to airline safety, so the motives of this
> acquisition are unclear.
>
> We, at the Clear-Ridge historical Society are
> going to see what we can do regarding this
> demolition. I did however speak to a retired
> pilot who explained to me in great detail just how
> that building on 63rd and Central affects the air
> traffic. It actually does affect the takeoffs,
> when they have to use that particular runway, in
> that the planes by code have to be a bit lighter
> on takeoff and have to lift off a bit earlier
> because of the building.
I flew in and out of Midway for many years starting in the early 60's and I don't remember there ever being an additional take off restriction or procedure relative to weight when using 22 Left or 22 Right, that would be departing to the Southwest, over 63rd and Central. I just checked takeoff procedures now and there is none. The ILS minimums are higher than standard on 4R, which is landing to the Northeast, but they are higher than standard on every other runway that has an ILS approach at Midway, probably because of obstructions around the airport.
This leads me to believe that the building is being demolished because the city wants it gone for some reason. That would be similar to the illegal, midnight demise of Meigs Field.
Remeber the plane that skidded and then killed the young boy in 2007? This is why.
If Midway closed up, Clearing would turn into West-West Englewood overnight. It's more important for a vital MDW than old buildings that a plane could hit.
tomcat630 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Remeber the plane that skidded and then killed the
> young boy in 2007? This is why.
>
> If Midway closed up, Clearing would turn into
> West-West Englewood overnight. It's more important
> for a vital MDW than old buildings that a plane
> could hit.
I wish I could agree with you, but the city does things in strange ways, mostly secretive. I was active at Midway from the early 60's through the late 90's, and was fascinated with the place long before that. The only instance that I know of involving a plane hitting a structure was on landing a Braniff DC6, I think, hit a gas station sign at 55th and Central when landing on what was then 13R. The Southwest 737 that skidded off of the runway had littel to do with obstructions. It was a combination of an icy runway, long landing and late application of braking and reverse thrust. Think about that accident, the aircraft never would have reached a structure across the street.
In any event I wish they would leave landmark stuff alone.