From the moment they saw the two young women dressed as sentries guarding the red carpeted entryway, guests knew this event was going to be special. And was it ever! On September 28th, over 300 people joined us at the Opera Lofts for Preservation Chicago’s Autumn 2007 Benefit. The guest list included Preservation Chicago members, the press, members of the Chicago City Council and many preservation-minded folks who came simply to have fun and support our cause.

Opera Lofts is the new incarnation of what was once a storage facility for the Lyric Opera’s sets, props and costumes. Although still in its “conversion” stage, guests were able to tour model apartments and ooh and ahh over artifacts left behind years ago by the Lyric Opera.

The crowd dined on a veritable feast of appetizers that would have done Pavarotti proud courtesy of the Grotto on State, Lovely Bakery and Mandolin Catering. At half-hour intervals throughout the evening, guests were treated to six 3-minute arias masterfully performed live by professional opera singers.

During the festivities, the silent auction was going full blast. 91 items—all of which garnered successful bids and went to 91 happy winners—were displayed in two rooms. Among the items snapped up were a plaster pomegranate from the ballroom of the Rainbo Gardens and glazed terra cotta blocks from the Nortown Theater—both grand venues now sadly gone. (At least those who won the items now have a piece of Chicago history.) Other items included a Richard Nickel print of the Old Chicago Stock Exchange, a guided tour of the fine art collection of Playboy Enterprises and a gift certificate that gave one lucky winner the opportunity to spend a day cooking alongside master chefs in the kitchen of the world famous Charlie Trotter’s restaurant.

Preservation Chicago President Jonathan Fine and Vice President Mike Moran graciously thanked all the attendees for contributing to our worthy mission. Without their support, we would not be able to do our important work in keeping Chicago’s historical architecture alive.

At the close of the evening, a tired but exuberant Preservation Chicago Board gathered together and deemed the event a smash!

Is there an encore waiting in the wings? Stay tuned ...