Teardown
When I was growing up one some of my fondest memories were those I experienced with my aunt. She was my dad's sister who never married. Thinking back I was amazed at how much time I spent with her. As a kid I never even thought about a person having a life of their own. I would frequently just call her up on a Thursday to ask if I could spend the weekend with her. She almost always said, "yes!" She lived with her mother for most of her life taking care of her since she lost her legs to diabetes. When grandma died she sold the house and moved to a small apartment in suburban Hinsdale. Hinsdale was (is) a very upscale suburb which became (in)famous in the go-go 90's when people bought beautiful old $500,000 houses, tore them down, and built massive million dollar houses. My aunt's apartment was part of a complex in the far southern end of the town. There must have been a few dozen buildings each with 8 units. Her building was slightly away from the main complex with an almost rural feel since the modest houses on the street actually had acreage. She moved in when the building was new. That was around 1976.
Fast forward to the other day. I was messing around on Google Maps when I decided to check out what the old apartment complex looked like today. I had driven by several years ago and was floored to see all of those older homes on huge plots gone, replaced by McMansions. How did it look now? Gone. Every building in the complex had been razed. I went to Street View and saw that it was now (or recently was) a massive construction site with new homes going in. The land must have been worth a fortune. I suppose I'll take a drive there when I visit Chicago again although I have a feeling that I will not recognize a single thing. One childhood memory preserved only in my mind.
Fast forward to the other day. I was messing around on Google Maps when I decided to check out what the old apartment complex looked like today. I had driven by several years ago and was floored to see all of those older homes on huge plots gone, replaced by McMansions. How did it look now? Gone. Every building in the complex had been razed. I went to Street View and saw that it was now (or recently was) a massive construction site with new homes going in. The land must have been worth a fortune. I suppose I'll take a drive there when I visit Chicago again although I have a feeling that I will not recognize a single thing. One childhood memory preserved only in my mind.