“A three-story red brick building constructed as a residence in the years following the Chicago Fire of 1871 at 107 E. Oak St. was recently demolished after the Chicago Plan Commission had approved its demolition.

“Recognized by the City of Chicago’s [Architectural] Historic Resources Survey of 1985, its facade had been slightly altered from the time of its original construction and therefore had been given a Green rating. The Plan Commission had approved its demolition to allow the site to be incorporated into the adjacent Razny Jewelry store at 109 E. Oak St.

“Despite its historical relevance, the city’s Plan Commission and the Oak St. Council had approved the demolition due to the sales taxes projected to be generated by the site. The Oak St. Council is the sole service provider for Oak Street Special Service Area 75 [Oak Street SSA] and shares its address with Razny.

“Among those disappointed by the abrupt demolition are the members of Preservation Chicago, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the city’s architectural heritage.

“‘Preservation Chicago was once again disappointed with the demolition and loss of 107 E. Oak St. This was a wonderful three-story structure of red brick and highly decorative limestone details, constructed as a residence and later beautifully adapted as a retail structure for most of the last century. This building certainly added to the character and special qualities of this famous retail street,’ said Ward Miller, the organization’s Richard H. Driehaus Executive Director.

“Due to the age of the building, a lot of information about the now-demolished building remains unknown. According to researchers at Preservation Chicago, the earliest documented construction record dates to March 1875.

“A Chicago Tribune permit notice reported G. Eberlein had built a two-story-and-basement brick structure at what was then 418 Oak St. Eberlein is believed to have been the contractor/builder and not the original owner. The building appears again in a notice from 1877 which documents the house had been sold for $6,500.”

“‘With this loss of this building, constructed in the years that followed the Chicago Fire, we lose yet another link to the city’s past. We also lost a beautiful structure, set back slightly from many other structures, which take every inch of land and space, abutting the Oak St. sidewalk. So, in its place, we’ll see another glitzy facade and perhaps a new building which could be anywhere, and perhaps even better suited for a southern California setting,’ said Miller.

“The building had been one of 11 Oak Street properties that had been included on the city of Chicago’s historic resources survey. Among these buildings is 60-68 E. Oak St., once site of the Esquire Theatre.

“‘We need to be able to protect buildings of a certain age and quality and we once again want to propose protections for our city’s historic structures. Let’s begin with ordinances that other big cities have in place, to review buildings more than 50 years old and facing demolition,’ said Miller.

“Oak St. is one of the city’s shortest shopping streets and that has been a contributing factor to recent demolitions. Retailers often compete for the same locations. Despite the age of remaining properties, many continue to be subject to demolition. Miller said Preservation Chicago believes Oak St. would benefit from the creation of its own historical district, similar to the one that protects Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park.

“‘Let’s once again look at protections to preserve the handful of historic buildings which remain on Oak St. and other places in and around the Near North Side. Otherwise, so much of what makes these places special and also brings people to Chicago has the risk of being compromised and perhaps lost in the future. We can do better as a city and let’s really try to find a means to protect these buildings looking to the immediate future,’ Miller said.” (Von Buol, Skyline, 7/8/26)

Razny Jewelers purchased 107 E. Oak Street for $16.4 million in 2024 and then acquired the adjoining building at 109 E. Oak — its longtime leased home — in early 2026. The combined site will become a new four-story flagship with a bridal showroom, a dedicated two-story Rolex boutique, and a fourth-floor event space. The historic building and historic facade could have been incorporated into the new development.

The challenge to Chicago’s historic buildings extends far beyond Oak Street. Chicago remains one of the only major American cities without a 50-year building review ordinance — a basic procedural protection that would require notification and a mandatory review period before any structure more than half a century old may be issued a demolition permit.

This building was 150 years old. It was gone before most Chicagoans knew it was threatened.

That is not an accident of circumstance. It is a policy limitation that has allowed hundreds of buildings to be demolished without meaningful review. Preservation Chicago has long advocated to have any building older than 50, 75, or even 100 years automatically trigger public notice and review before demolition.

Read the full story at Skyline

• Rare post-Chicago Fire building on E. Oak St. unceremoniously demolished; Peter Von Buol, Skyline, 7/8/26
• Razny Jewelers buys Oak Street building, plans expansion; TRD Staff, The Real Deal, 2/23/26
• Oak Street luxury shopping area building sold to Razny Jewelers; Rachel Herzog, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/19/24