As we continue to celebrate Chicago Market’s exciting funding news, we have another key milestone to share in the development of our store—the first on-site physical work to prepare the inside of our building for construction!

Our lease with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) includes the basement portion of our location at Wilson and Broadway. The Co-op's store design plans call for transforming that lower level into storage space, restrooms, offices, and conference rooms (click here for pdf of the basement plan).

[Photo of a worker wearing an air filtration mask giving a thumbs up sign]

Step 1 in the process recently occurred with contractors onsite to complete some initial pre-construction activities in the basement, including removal of leftover plaster and steel from the CTA’s Wilson station rehab project, clean-up of mold and mildew from water intrusion, and dehumidification of the space.

[Interior basement photo showing a ladder and piles of metal and broken plaster ready for removal]

[Interior basement photo of two workers wearing protective smocks and inspecting the ceiling and a column]

[Before and after shots showing reduction in water intrusion around a basement wall and column]

[Before and after shots showing reduction in water intrusion and clean up of rusted debris from a basement corner]

[Before and after shots showing removal of old plaster from basement ceiling]

[Larger interior photo of the basement showing a large white pipe and cabling]

Additional phases of work in the basement will include encapsulation of the walls and installation of a drain tile system as long-term solutions to prevent water intrusion into the space, along with sand blasting and fireproofing of the steel beams. Stay tuned for more updates!

What’s next for Chicago Market?

While it feels great to have physical work occurring at the building, we still have some important steps to complete before we can commence principal construction activities—which would ideally start by the end of this year. These steps include moving our City grant award forward for review by the Chicago Community Development Commission and City Council. We’re also in dialogue with various banks to explore terms for a bank loan as an additional source of construction funding.

What can you do to help? If you’re not yet a Chicago Market Owner, join us; if you are, invite your friends and neighbors to sign up or consider Leveling Up from a Founding Owner to a Cultivating Owner. Every dollar that we as Owners contribute to the Co-op means less bank debt we’ll need and fewer costs going forward.

It’s so exciting to see our vision taking shape—let’s keep the momentum going!