Des Plaines Realty, Toy and Hobby House, and Lombardo Shoes - 1484 and 1486 Miner

While there are forgotten gems downtown, there are also a few buildings that are best described as "Prime Redevelopment Opportunities". These are two of them: only historic in that they are barely over 50 years old, unattractive, deteriorating, out-of-scale, and on top of that they allow a view of the parking deck behind them.

They were both originally built at about the same time as the Des Plaines Theatre next door (1925). The one on the left held Des Plaines Realty for many years, into the 1980s, until it was replaced by the Capozolli law office. At some point in the 1950s it was remodeled with a "modern" look with lannon stone, plate glass, and corrugated metal. Neither the old or the new building were particularly attractive; the storefronts at Prairie and Graceland, or many of the storefronts near Cumberland, are better examples of this architectural style.

The one on the right is a little more interesting - notice in the 1925 photo the sign is advertising a restaurant and hotel for lease (it must have been a very small hotel.) It held just that (including P. & M. Snack Shop) until it was demolished in 1958 for the Lombardo's Shoes/Toy & Hobby House building, pictured under construction in the above photo. Lombardo's lasted until at least 1986, and Toy & Hobby House until at least 1984. The hobby space later housed Online Cafe, June Moon Collectibles, and a variety of political campaign offices, among other things. The shoe store housed Lucia DeBartolo Salon and, until a few weeks ago, Class Hair Salon. In 2007, the City of Des Plaines purchased this building for $350,000 in TIF funds "for future redevelopment". This allowed it to operate a FEMA Disaster Recovery office following the 2008 Hurricane Ike-related floods. Today the building stands vacant and partially hidden by an obtrusive bus stop.

These two buildings present a unique opportunity, however. If the Des Plaines Theater is rehabilitated, it will likely need more space, since its lobby and backstage are quite small; it needs more lobby space, restrooms, and concessions. If the Theatre became a performing arts center, this would give room for functions like rehearsal or "black box" space, ticketing, and access to the theatre building's second floor; if the Theatre were rehabilitated as a movie theatre, this could provide space for additional screens. There is even more space to be had behind the historic Gillespie Printery and First National Bank buildings, where a cinder-block addition now stands.