Loyola University demolished a 100-year-old flatiron building—home to 30+ apartments and three beloved businesses—to create a vacant lot. No one asked for this.
Email Loyola's President and their Associate VP of Neighborhood Initiatives. Let them know Rogers Park deserves better.
✉ Email Loyola NowPresident Mark Reed (president@luc.edu) & Jennifer Clark, AVP Neighborhood Initiatives (jclark7@luc.edu)
In December 2023, Loyola University Chicago purchased the flatiron building at 1224–1234 W. Loyola Ave. for $3 million. The nearly 100-year-old building housed 30+ affordable apartments and three beloved community businesses: Archie's Cafe, Roman Susan Art Gallery, and Edge Art.
Despite advocacy from State Senator Mike Simmons, Alderwoman Maria Hadden, Preservation Chicago, and over 1,500 community members who signed an open letter — Loyola evicted all tenants and businesses and began demolition on February 18, 2026.
The university has no clear construction plans for the site. They intend to replace the building with "streetscape elements" — a vacant green space on a block already surrounded by Loyola-owned vacant lots.