a glass half full

As demolition has progressed on the block of storefronts just west of the 95th St. Metra station, I've noticed something unexpected. It appears that the shell of the easternmost storefront is being reused and not demolished.

While I wish we hadn't lost the remainder of that block, I appreciate the fact that the developer is retaining a facade that fits in with its surroundings rather than plunking down an ugly concrete block structure - what we probably would have gotten otherwise.

Esthetically and environmentally it's a glass half full. This means less material that would have gone into a landfill and fewer emissions from equipment that would have been used in demolishing this structure and constructing a new one. The end result is likely to be more attractive. Bonus - we won't be looking at a parking lot while waiting on the Metra platform.