EDGEWATER — Wing Hoe Restaurant is closing next week, marking the end of a five-decade run for the Sheridan Road business primed to be replaced by a development.
The Chinese restaurant at 5356 N. Sheridan Road will close Dec. 12, management announced in a letter posted to the business’s front door.
Wing Hoe’s closure is not caused by the pandemic. The restaurant’s lease is expiring, and the mansion it occupies is slated to be redeveloped into residences.
Rather than seek a new location, owners will close the business and retire, a manager for the restaurant told Block Club on Monday. Wing Hoe has been in operation for 49 years.
“It has been our pleasure serving you for the past 40-plus years and we sincerely thank you for your patronage,” management wrote in its announcement.
Wing Hoe opened in 1971, operating out of an Edgewater mansion built in 1913. The closure signals the end for a local institution as well as the likely demolition of the 107-year-old mansion.
Late last year, MCZ Development received approval to build a 50-unit building on the restaurant site. The four-story building would include 21 parking spaces, with five units being earmarked as affordable.
It is unclear where the project stands. No building permits have been issued for the site, city records show. MCZ Development did not return a request for comment Monday.
The property was sold to a real estate firm in 2014 for $1.35 million, Cook County property records show.
The Sheridan Road corridor in Edgewater is seeing renewed developer attention. At 5440 N. Sheridan Road, a gravel lot will be turned into a 78-unit apartment building courtesy of prolific North Side development firm Cedar Street.
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