WEST ROGERS PARK — The towering "Z" Frank Chevrolet sign on Western Avenue was toppled and scrapped Wednesday, despite efforts to save the iconic neon sign, owner Chuck Frank said. The demolition of the sign was captured on video by a passerby Wednesday morning. Crews have been knocking down the former car dealership at 6016-60 N. Western Ave. since earlier this month. When news broke about the demo, several groups, including the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society and a neon sign museum, had been trying to pull together resources to preserve the sign.

But efforts proved futile as traffic was halted and the sign was knocked down Wednesday. Frank confirmed the           demolition via email and said efforts to save it fell through. "There were inquiries but nothing more," Frank said. Frank's father, Zollie, founded the car dealership in 1936, but the family business moved out of the neighborhood in 2008, and it was sold off entirely soon after, Frank said. After years of looking for a buyer for the property, Frank found one in Bob Loquercio, owner of the 120-employee Chicago Northside Toyota on Broadway in Edgewater. Loquercio had said he is moving his business because of the CTA's plans to demolish a portion of his dealership there to make room for extensive Red Line construction planned for 2017.