Tragedy on Devon

Business owners on the 2500 block of W. Devon Ave. had little to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Last Thursday there was a fire that burned the entire block, which consisted of three two-story buildings sharing a white, stone facade. According to a Chicago Tribune article from Sunday's paper (link -- may require registration), at least 25 businesses and 13 apartments sustained damage. I'd guess many of them are a total loss.

Fifty years ago, Devon Avenue was a major commercial strip serving the then-predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Rogers Park. By the mid 1980s, large numbers of Indians and Pakistanis had moved in, and parts of Devon began to look like a South Asian marketplace. I remember it at that time as a vibrant and entrepreneurial place.

I had dinner on Sunday at Indian Garden, across the street from where the fire was, so I was able to see the ruined block first hand. Out on the street, a smell like a sooty fireplace permeated the air. It was sad to think of the people who lost so much of what they had obviously worked so hard for -- losses that were often uninsured. From the Tribune article:

Some of the business owners said they planned to rent other space quickly. Mir Minhaj, an accountant whose Amtech Accounting office was on the second floor of the center building, had already made calls to lease a different space.

[Abdul Wahid] Butt, [owner of Sabri Nehari Restaurant] who estimated his losses at more than $1 million, said his restaurant's fame would make it easier for him to rebuild, but the fire still left him heartbroken.

"We are in shock right now," Butt said. "It's the memories. What can you do? You have to cry."