Now open: Hairpin Lofts & Logan Square Arts Center

Hairpin Lofts & Logan Square Arts Center
on Milwaukee Ave.

It’s been over 20 years since the public has stepped foot above the first floor of the Hairpin Lofts and Logan Square Arts Center (photo left, “before”) — until today!

The reconfigured and newly renovated and restored building at the northwest corner of Diversey and Milwaukee Avenues (photo above, “after”) is certified for occupancy and open for business.

You can read a bit more about the building’s journey at History of the Morris B. Sachs building (Part I) and (Part II), Celebrating Hairpin Lofts! and Desirable defacement.

On the top four floors of the building, tenants will now reside in new apartments (photo left) where office workers once toiled.  And enjoy a bird’s eye view of the neighborhood (photo below left looks north up Kimball Avenue).

On the second floor of the building will be the Logan Square Arts Center, a performance and multi-use space managed by the Logan Square Chamber of Arts.

You can dive right in and see for yourself the new Logan Square Arts Center during the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival this weekend (see below).

Scene in Logan Square:

Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival takes place this weekend, July 29-31, from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on Milwaukee Avenue between Rockwell and Wolfram Streets.

You might start off your festival experience with the 50 & Fabulous performance at the Logan Square Arts Center Friday night at 8:00 p.m.  You could take some time on Saturday to channel your own artistic side starting at 2:30 p.m. with the All Ages Make & Take Art Workshops, fuel your artsy adventure at neighborhood restaurants or the curated Food and drink at the festival, or test your artistic expression at 7:30 p.m. with Foreign language karaoke.  You may challenge your perspective on Sunday at the Undomesticated gallery, see how the festival has unfolded at the See, Hear, Now gallery, and pick up a souvenir of the festival at the Indoor Art Market.  There’s much more to see and do.  Map your own route or let the art unfold in your own exploration.

Advertisement

Kedzie Avenue bike lanes and sharrows

They’ve been up for a month now.  How do you like the new Kedzie Avenue bike lanes courtesy of a Federally funded city-wide bike lane installation project?

Everyone who uses Kedzie Avenue here will have to make the necessary adjustments, and so far, so good from what I’ve seen.

For those unfamiliar with the markings, the solid lines with the bike stencil and solid, single arrow (photo below right) designate bike lanes dedicated to bicyclists.  Motor vehicles must not cross the solid line.  Bicyclists must travel in the direction of the arrow.

The dotted line delineates the area where cross traffic can cross the bicycle lane, and the bike stencil with two chevrons above it–otherwise known as a “sharrow” or shared lane marking (photo below left)–indicates where cyclists and motorists must share the road.