The “theater” portion of the Esquire Theater Building (58 East Oak Street) is long gone, as its transformation continues into a high-end retail and restaurant complex. Much of the clutter has been removed from the street and public way, and a new sign is up declaring that the Del Frisco’s Steakhouse will open in a matter of weeks.
The size of the wooden walls covering the glass gives you an idea of how light and airy the final product might be.
Next door, the newly demolished graystones are now a pit of rubble to be cleared out and reconstructed into more shiny shops as the Oak/Rush/Walton corridor undergoes a bit of a growth spurt amid its constant shuffle.
For more on the constantly changing face of Chicago’s Gold Coast retail scene, check out the Gold Coast Retail Shuffle thread at the Chicago Architecture Forum.
