5401 Itaska Revisited 4.24.2007 | 0 Comment(s)

I've been following the unfolding saga that is 5401 Itaska for a few months now, and progress is being made...I think. A few weeks ago, after the property sat dormant for months once the tenant who was hoarding animals was thrown out, I noticed a large dumpster sitting in front of the building. The large storefront windows had been taken out and all the renaming windows had been opened wide. Inside, the walls, from floor to tin ceiling, were stained. The various shades of yellow and brown which colored the walls, along with the smell of pee, made me realize I probably didn't want to investigate any further.

It looks like someone has purchased the property and is hopefully going to return the building to good use. I'm not going to call it a rehab yet, as I haven't seen much progress made on the building since that first look, but I'm optimistic good things are in 5401's future.

This is the second building along Macklind that has been gutted. At Devonshire and Macklind another building has been gutted and will soon be the restored home to the construction company that moved into the building last year. It was interesting to drive or walk by that intersection and see a new hidden layer of the building revealed. One day there was a window were earlier that morning one didn't exist. On another day you could see what appeared to be the building's original storefront. I hope the rehabbers bring back the character to the building rather than burying it behind inappropriate steel doors and windows. I've got my fingers crossed. Macklind seems to keep improving.