RUBBISHGOESHERE / DUMP

In 2001 the Chicago Paperboard mill, a sprawling complex of circa 1914 buildings along the Chicago River between Ogden and Elston Avenue, was closed due to diminishing profits–according to a press release, “The closing of Chicago Paperboard results from the lack of market demand for uncoated recycled paperboard.  The mill was profitable through 1998, but declining sales resulted in operating losses of $2.6 million in 1999 and $1.5 million in 2000.”  The complex was demolished in 2005.

I thought that the factory would soon be replaced by new condos, and in fact the company hoped to “recover the costs associated with the closing through the sale of mill property”, but except for a cluster of junked taxi cabs the lot is still vacant.  I managed to grab a couple of photos during the late stages of demolition, but for some reason I never made it inside.  For that I am still kicking myself.

The contractor that tore down the complex, Henegan Wrecking,  posted photos and videos of the demolition process on their website HERE.

—

Speaking of the vacant Chicago Paperboard lot, the Hyde Park Arts Center has an upcoming had an exhibit of paintings depicting the same site called Abandoned Demolition: New painting by Andy Paczos. From the press release:  “The paintings in this exhibition are the product of three years of the artist’s continued focus on one particular neglected industrial site in Chicago…In this series of fourteen works, Paczos examines the relationship between human productivity and natural growth through exploring how sites of abandonment are being re-inhabited in unexpected ways.”  I couldn’t find a link to the artist’s website (edit: his gallery now has some of his work online HERE), but the small image (above) accompanying the press release looks interesting. The show runs from January 19 to April 5th. edit: I saw the show, and yea…nice work.