I can’t believe we’re only a few weeks away from welcoming you into our new home. I think you’re in for a wonderful surprise, and can’t wait for you to experience it.
Earlier this month at our annual History Makers Celebration, I had the opportunity to give donors a behind-the-scenes look at the interior design of our new building alongside Mari Ansera, Interior Design Department Lead at HGA. We loved sharing the inspiration, the vision, and a few stories about how it all came together. Here are a few highlights from that conversation:
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Our new home is a blend of a 100-year-old warehouse and new construction. One of our biggest challenges was finding the right balance between honoring the building’s industrial history and creating a cohesive, unified aesthetic.
I’ve long admired projects that thoughtfully revive historic spaces—places like the lobbies at Soho House Chicago and the Chicago Athletic Association as well as the Hotel Emma in San Antonio (pictured below, from left). These spaces feel layered and full of interesting items that each tell a story, mixing industrial with warm coziness.
From there, the vision evolved in partnership with HGA. Together, we developed a color palette inspired by the Uptown neighborhood and the original warehouse itself—rich purples and vibrant greens, and tones that reflect both the building’s history and its vibrant future.
THE CHANDELIER
You can find just about anything for sale online these days—but you have to move quickly, have cash in hand, and be ready to pick it up at a moment’s notice.
When I discovered a stunning, ornate chandelier for sale for an amazing price in Joliet, I didn’t hesitate. I got in my car and approached the address at dusk. It was a house perched on a hill, and I couldn’t help but think it looked just like the one at the end of The Silence of the Lambs. Feeling uneasy, I texted our Director of Production, Maggie Fullilove-Nugent, and shared my location—just in case. She was to send help if she didn’t hear from me within 20 minutes!
The owner greeted me and asked me to come in because the chandelier was in the cellar. This was breaking all the rules of online buying…never enter the home! But I wanted that chandelier. “Go ahead,” he said, and I carefully made my way down the narrow wooden stairs, wondering what I had gotten myself into. When I reached the dark bottom, I nervously turned the corner and saw a glow in the back of the next room: a breathtaking Art Deco brass, theater-style chandelier. In that moment, I knew it belonged in our new home. (And I lived to tell the tale!)
You will find this chandelier on our fourth floor, when you visit our Rehearsal Room for events and programs. And it is just one of the 76 vintage lighting fixtures purchased for the building!
ART DECO SUITCASE TABLES
One of the challenges of embracing historic fixtures and furnishings is avoiding a space that feels overly dark or masculine. When we shared some of our early inspiration images, a few of the staff thought it resembled an old men’s cigar lounge. With the help of Mari and the team at HGA, we worked on refining the vision—holding on to the elements that captured the spirit we loved while bringing in a few more colorful and funky items to help balance the vintage leather chairs and velvet sofas, making the space feel more modern. That inspiration led me to a pair of 1920s suitcases I discovered at Lazy Dog Antiques on Belmont, owned by Rudy and Lisa Piamante. We transformed these vintage items into distinctive, one-of-a-kind tables that we hope will add a touch of character and whimsy to the first-floor lobby.
It has been a long year of searching for just the right pieces—details that make the building feel as though it has been thoughtfully gathered over the past century. And now, suddenly, everything is moving so quickly. We can’t wait to get it all put together and share it with you.
MAKE HISTORY WITH US
Campaign donors at any level who give before March 12 will be invited to a special reception this spring. Pledges of $10,000 or more may be fulfilled over multiple years.
MAKE A GIFT TODAY