If you haven't seen it, the "outdoor patio" in front of Gigio's is gone.The structure was illegal under the City's ordinances and got significantly worse when the owners blocked all ability to view behind the structure. The tarps were eventually removed when neighbors complained, but the area in and around the structure became a center of drug sales and illicit activity in the neighborhood. All of this was reported to Gigio's ownership and clearly obvious to anyone with eyes, but they seemed not to care. Drug dealing was good for business, it appeared.But its gone now. Good riddance.From reader emails, we [...]

We have been watching the building at 4848 N. Clark with interest for years now. 4848 N. Clark (Courtesy @properties Listing)The handsome but non-descript old warehouse & manufacturing building along Clark was built in 1936 just north of the now demolished Rainbo Gardens (later Rainbo Roller Rink). In a reflection of the changes to Uptown in the 1930's, the building had various automotive and light manufacturing tenants over the years and was most recently home to a couple of art studios. The building has been on and off the market since at least 2008 with no buyers. The property recently sold, and we [...]