Demolition permits issued for historic structures at Wells/Superior

Demolition permits have been issued for two historic structures that are set to meet the wrecking ball at the southwest corner of N. Wells St and W. Superior St. First announced in February, the demolition is being planned by Topography Hospitality and KF Partners LLC and the structures are set to be replaced by a five-story new development, but the scope of that project is unclear.

The three-story brick and wood framed structure at 720 N. Wells was built near the time of the Chicago Fire but is green-rated on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey with no protections from demolition. The Italianate structure at 207 W. Superior is estimated to be from the 1880s and is listed as orange-rated on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey. It was placed on the 90-day demolition delay list in mid-2023 and was ultimately released in August 2023.

Permits list Milburn Demolition as the demolition contractor and work is expected to proceed through June. According to Alderman Reilly’s newsletter, the new development is expected to begin in September of this year, but no permits have been filed.