One very small section is all that remains of Harpo Studios.
This has to be the last hurrah for Harpo Studios in this space. Because these photos, all taken Tuesday evening, show very little left standing of Oprah Winfrey’s former television studio. By Thursday, my next chance to get over to Washington and Carpenter, there will likely be nothing left but the massive pile of rubble along the west fence.
The demolition of Harpo Studios has turned out to be quite a spectacle in Chicago. Children’s Memorial Hospital has gotten some attention. You don’t hear much about the massive demo project still ongoing at the old Malcolm X College. And the four 100-year-old-plus buildings Rush University Medical Center tore down went with barely a peep. But Oprah’s empire caused a scene. People stopped by to collect a brick memento, take photos, and dream of being in the crowd when everyone got a car one last time.
Who knows. Maybe, when the new McDonald’s corporate headquarters takes over the space, they’ll give everyone a French fry.
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- In the midst of demolition, another round of soil sampling.
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- Looking north from Washington at Carpenter.
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- All that’s left of the corner of Washington and Carpenter is horizontal.
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- Security on duty around the clock to ensure no one steals any…used bricks?
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- Tuesday morning’s view from the Building Up Chicago office.