MORGAN PARK — A long-vacant house near the Metra tracks in Morgan Park has been demolished.
The house at 2005 W. Edmaire St. sat empty on the west side of the train tracks for nearly a decade. And in recent weeks the bricks and roof began to collapse, Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said Friday.
Demolition began this week and was completed Friday. O'Shea said he worked with the city's Department of Buildings for several years to document problems with the home on the southwest corner of Hale Avenue and Edmaire Street.
"It was not just an eyesore but a liability," said O'Shea, adding that the house that long relied on a blue tarp as a roof posed a danger to area children who might have snuck inside to play.
O'Shea said the house just one block from Esmond Elementary School didn't have any complaints from neighbors regarding squatters or other suspicious people hanging inside or around it.
Still, he said empty houses often attract a criminal element and demolishing the house near the 115th Street Metra depot likely averted problems before they began.
"It's nice that it's finally down," he said.
