Chicago eyesores: Volume 2

Last year, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law intended to stop building owners from abandoning properties for long stretches of time.

The big picture: Chicago has a longstanding problem with abandoned buildings. With the help of Axios Chicago readers, we identified 10 offenders last spring .

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• Though you can still spot eyesores citywide, the neglected buildings on the second round of our list are nestled in otherwise bustling areas.

Here are seven more we've collected since then:

Rock Records

175 W. Washington St., Loop

One of Chicago's independent record stores lived here. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios

The old Rock Records location on Washington Street has sat dormant for almost two decades, collecting graffiti and serving as a makeshift shelter from the elements.

• This is not in a remote neighborhood — this building is right in the middle of the Loop, with thousands of people walking by it each day.
• There are other occupied spaces in the three-story building, but the first-floor retail storefront is empty.

Inn at Lincoln Park

601 W. Diversey Parkway

Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios

The Inn of Lincoln Park has sat dormant since the early 2000s, and several plans to demolish or renovate it have fizzled. It's mainly used as a parking lot.

The intrigue: This building was built in 1916, then called the Bentmere Hotel.

Barnes & Noble

1139 N. State St.

Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios

This concrete-colored former Barnes & Noble store was slated to be demolished right before the pandemic to make way for new high-rise developments .

Yes but: Those projects never happened, so the 20,000-square-foot, two-story building sits dormant in the bustling Rush Street shopping district.

Market

1113 W. Randolph St.

Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios

Market was one of the first high-end bars to hit the western edge of the West Loop in 2009. It was the creation of former White Sox general manager Kenny Williams.

• It didn't last long, and the building was never redeveloped.

Bella's Pizza

1952 W. Chicago Ave.

Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

The fire-gutted remnants of Bella's Pizza are smack in the middle of continuous development on this West Town block, sitting between Pierre's Bakery and clothing store Tarnish.

The intrigue: In a Facebook comment last Friday, Ald. Gilbert Villegas said he'd talked to the property owner, and a new project is getting underway there. Stay tuned.

Dunlay's on Clark and Wine D.O.C. Bar

2600 N. Clark St.

Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

The family-friendly, upscale-casual spot in Lincoln Park closed in 2018, but its owners have stayed in the business on the North Side — 4 Star Hospitality runs Smoke Daddy, Crosby's Kitchen, and Tuco and Blondie's.