Berwyn Red Line stop and vicinity

Last month Dr. Wax's used record store near the Berwyn station closed. For several years, it was located in a fairly large space just west of the station. Then last year, they moved to a very small space right under the tracks. The new store seemed like such an undesirable location for a record store, and I was doubtful they'd survive there. One day last month, I noticed a sign on their door inviting customers to their store way down on the South Side. I never bought anything at Dr. Wax, but it was something unique that I'm sure will be missed by a lot of people in the neighborhood. Their business, no doubt, has been badly hurt by the popularity of the iPod.

In the old, larger Dr. Wax location, an new furniture store is opening up. Their grand opening banner reads "DCI Furnitures," which doesn't seem like such a good name to me. Sounds like a place where you might order three dozen office chairs. Later, I found out the correct name is DCI Home Furnishings. Still not a great name, but a step in the right direction.

At the corner of Broadway and Foster, there used to be a Del Ray Farms produce market that catered mainly to an immigrant and minority clientele. The building itself is pretty much a cinderblock box on a parking lot, and it doesn't do much for the corner. Not long ago I passed by it, and the parking lot was completely filled up with taxi cabs. I can safely assume that the Del Ray is no longer in operation.

With the loss of Dr. Wax from beneath the 'L' tracks, two of the four storefronts belonging to the CTA are empty at the Berwyn station. The other one has been empty for at least three years. It doesn't help that the property is falling apart (and this despite fare increases!). Water has been leaking into the station itself to the extent that a portion of the ceiling has come down and is now patched with sheet metal. Water damage in the other commercial spaces makes it less than ideal for prospective tenants.

Earlier this month, the Edgewater Development Corporation (EDC) and the University of Illinois at Chicago held workshops for "a potential redesign of four CTA Red Line stations." This might have been interesting, but from what I have heard, it mostly involved a what-if scenario where pretty much the whole of Broadway (not just the CTA properties) between Foster and Granville gets demolished and rebuilt -- new and improved! I was appalled to hear this. I think it should be common knowledge among urban planners these days that you can't save a neighborhood by destroying it.