The architectural environment of Chicago is ever changing, and needs to be. But sometimes we lose little gems that people hardly notice. The Showmen's Building is being pulled down to make a park for a neighboring condo building that is going up.
I can imagine the Showmen's League is no longer a large group (they were basically a trade union for the "outdoor amusement industry" (circus, carnival and amusement park) workers, so I guess they had to sell their headquarters building, but because it's decorated with their logo elephant, it's a one of a kind gem that will never be seen again.
I first noticed the building because a colleague (who knows I love architecture) asked me about the "Elephant Building," with the elephants over the windows.Also a sad loss, Harry's Hot Dogs, which was in the building (you can see the awnings in the top picture above). The shop made it 100 years, and closed when the building was slated to be destroyed.
A local cemetery has a memorial to circus people killed in a train accident, called "Showmen's Rest" - I'll blog about that at some point, I'm sure.
