“The Chicago City Council has approved $1.55 million in TIF funding for The Workshop, a community-oriented performing arts and gathering space planned at 3741 W. Lawrence. Located midblock, the property is currently occupied by a 100+-year-old building that would be renovated into the home of this new local hub.
“Designed by Future Firm, the project will redevelop an existing 6,500 square foot brick building into an arts hub that will offer a multi-purpose space to musicians, community-focused arts organizations, emerging young artists, and other creatively inclined residents of Albany Park.
“The Workshop aspires to be a catalyst for economic development, revitalizing a quiet stretch of Lawrence Avenue. The project demonstrates a commitment to equity by supporting BIPOC-led small businesses and arts nonprofits through affordable leases and tenant improvement funds, contributing to the enrichment and vibrancy of the local cultural landscape.
“The $3 million project will be funded with the approved $1.55 million in TIF, $395,500 in equity, $900,000 in lender financing, a $150,000 city ETOD Pre-Development grant, and a $100,000 Chicago Community Trust grant.” (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 7/9/26)
Preservation Chicago congratulates developer James Yelen, Future Firm, the Chicago Community Trust, and the City of Chicago. A community arts center is a great adaptive reuse for a vintage building on a commercial corridor.
Read the full story at Urbanize Chicago
- City Council approves funding for The Workshop at 3741 W. Lawrence; The project will reuse an existing building as a community-oriented performing arts center, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 7/9/26
- The Workshop at 3741 W. Lawrence receives $1.2 million Community Development Grant; The project will reuse an existing building as a community-oriented performing arts center, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 6/4/25
- Albany Park’s Workshop Arts Collaborative Gets $1.2 Million City Grant For Building Renovation; The development, which still needs a zoning change, would host live performances and have soundproof rehearsal studios and pop-up space for vendors, Alex V. Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 5/30/25
- WIN: 3741 W. Lawrence To Be Adaptively Reused as Performing Arts Center; Preservation Chicago, 6/30/25