Erie-LaSalle Body Shop being cleared to make room for new condos

Demolition crews can start wrecking and clearing the site of the old Erie-LaSalle Body Shop at 146 W. Erie Street any moment now. A demolition permit issued yesterday simply states, “Wreck and remove 1 story brick commercial building,” signaling that the plan to replace the single-story commercial building and its surface parking lot with new residences is heading forward.

Sedgwick Development is marketing a new project for the location called “Bentham” which is expected to feature upscale condominiums starting at $1.3 million. No other information or renderings are currently available, although the landing page on broker Jameson Sotheby’s promo website for the development does offer a vague look at an outline of the proposed tower.

The condo project is certainly still in the early planning and proposal phase, but the demolition of the older masonry building at the northwest corner of Erie and LaSalle certainly appears to be moving ahead.

• Demolition permit [Chicago Cityscape]
• Three new residential projects could completely transform this River North block [Curbed Chicago]