Equity Arts
Location: Wicker Park, Chicago
Client: Equity Arts
Scope: Architecture, Programming
Progress/Year: 2023–Ongoing
Client: Equity Arts
Scope: Architecture, Programming
Progress/Year: 2023–Ongoing
Equity Arts is a four-story historic building on Milwaukee Ave, known as the Lubinski Furniture building. With the help of a Chicago Recovery Grant the space will be renovated to meet contemporary building code and preserved as an art and culture space in this rapidly changing neighborhood. The building is included in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey as Level Orange and it is part of both, Wicker Park Historic District by The National Register of Historic Places and The Milwaukee Avenue District by The Chicago Landmark District. This multi-generational project also aims to preserve the heritage of Chicago’s contemporary art and house music. The building has a masonry exterior wall, iron and timber columns, and wood floor framing. The building is over 40,000 square feet and since the mid 90’s has been a home to artists and creatives as well as the furniture store on the first floor. The space will be a creative hub that brings together retail incubators, galleries, and art organizations. This regenerative model for arts and cultural preservation in Wicker Park is aimed at creating restorative space to advance racial equity. The building will be a social good multiplier for sustainability, well-being, and economic development.
