I’m not exactly sure what time they dozed the Elmwood KFC (must have been a few hours ago), but the important thing is that there is no longer a structure standing at the NW corner of Elmwood and Bryant. That is unless you count the faux striped hayloft (or whatever it was) that now sits on its side as if part of a disassembled Little People play set. Elmwood Village can rest assured that another greasy operator will not attempt to re-re-re-open the establishment that caused so much angst in years past.
To think that this block was once a dynamic attraction on the street. A beautiful old building once occupied the footprint where the mini mart and the former KFC sit. I look at the demolition of the KFC building as sort of a retribution for creating such a dysfunctional block for so many years. And now we’re going to see a multi-use Frizlen, Johnson and Ferdman brick and glass building go up (see design). Plus, having Coffee Culture at that corner will take care of the element that has notoriously dug in its heals on that block – by element I mostly mean street walkers and winos. Another victory for Elmwood.
The addition of the new building will go a long way toward creating much needed attractive infill on those corners. Now there are only two more to go… I’m not holding my breath for Blight Aid, though I do hope that Children’s Hospital will one day sell off their corner lot to a progressive developer or build on it themselves.