Former restaurant, furniture store building in Lincoln Park neighborhood torn down for housing development
A single-story Lincoln Park neighborhood building that once housed a restaurant and bar, a record store, and a furniture store has been torn down to make way for a new housing development.
The building at 2600-2608 N. Clark St. had been completely vacant for several years, and was leveled over the past few weeks to make way for a new five-story residential building that will include 48 apartments — 10 of them affordable housing units — as well as ground-floor commercial space, according to the office of Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd).
Architectural firm Seek Design + Architecture wrote of the new building, "Our design directly responds to the 'jog' in Clark Street by stepping back at each floor, minimizing the visual impact of the building along the commercial corridor while creating dynamic movement in the building form."
The development will also expand sidewalk space along Clark Street and add a loading zone on Wrightwood Avenue to improve the flow of traffic and reduce double-parking, Knudsen's office said.
Recently, Knudsen posted a video of himself in a hard hat, throwing a brick through the window of one standing wall of the mostly demolished building.
In the video, Knudsen noted that the World's Fair from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition was moved from the fairgrounds along the Midway Plaisance on Chicago's South Side to the very corner of Clark Street and Wrightwood Avenue, where it was reassembled in 1895. It stood as the main attraction for Ferris Wheel Park until 1903.
The site of Ferris Wheel Park was not exactly the same spot where the recently demolished building later stood. Ferris Wheel Park was across the street on the east side of Clark Street, where a McDonald's and The Kent high-rise apartment building now stand, published reports note.
Nevertheless, the 2600-2608 N. Clark St. building was close enough to the Ferris wheel site that Knudsen suggested in the video that it was disappointing that a building was sitting vacant for years in such a historically important area.
Knudsen also said in the video that there is a greater vision for Clark Street in that area beyond the new housing development. He said through recent approvals, his office is set to redefine Clark Street as "one of the best multi-use corridors in the city of Chicago."
In the now-demolished 2600-2608 N. Clark St. building, the first storefront right at the corner was home for many years to the Clark Street Bistro — owned by Joël and Halim Kazouini, who also opened Chez Joël Bistro Français in Little Italy, published reports recall.
The Clark Street Bistro closed in 2003, and was replaced by Dunlays on Clark, opened by Doug and Michael Dunlay of 4 Star Restaurant Group and known for its patio along its Wrightwood Avenue frontage. In 2005, D.O.C. Wine Bar opened in the storefront to the north at 2602 N. Clark St., with fireplaces and a chalet atmosphere.
Dunlays on Clark and D.O.C. Wine Bar both closed in 2018.
Dave's Records, a vinyl-only record shop at 2604 N. Clark St., opened in 2002 and remained in business until New Year's Eve 2022.
Affordable Portables was the longest-standing tenant in the building. The family-owned bargain and discount furniture store had been in operation at 2608 N. Clark St. since 1977. It also closed in 2022.
Affordable Portables also had a store at 924 Davis St. in Evanston, which closed in 2024. But the company remains in business and offers furniture for order and design services.
