Alley 94, Hallmark

Yesterday while driving in Chicago, I stumbled upon the site of Alley 94, Hallmark. I had no idea where I was when I shot it three years ago and it was a thrill to find it and explore the area during the day. I immediately went to see if there were signs of the homeless man, Tyler, who lived in this alley with his beloved wife, but I saw no trace.
The whole area (near W Fulton St and N Damen Ave) has changed substantially. The big, looming structure is now owned by Bark Avenue Playcare – a doggy daycare. Yesterday the alley was filled with sounds of barking pooches, but on the night I shot this the area was dead silent. On that night, the building was owned by a company that made wooden toys. The owner of Bark says he’s never figured out what the structure was, but has heard it might have been an old brewery. This is what I’ve been told too. Its another stark example of the passage of time… its amazing that a prominent structure like this, and whatever it produced and represented, and the many people who worked in it, could become so thoroughly forgotten.
On the right side, the huge weeds are gone, and the old buildings were torn down. In their place is a massive concrete behemoth. The building belongs to Schawk an international graphics and marketing company.
I took several pictures: