“Theaster Gates’ ‘thoughtful care’ in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood has prioritized place-making that centers the arts, beauty and culture.

“For years, the work of his Rebuild Foundation has transformed abandoned buildings, creating the Dorchester Art+Housing Collaborative from a former public housing project and a garden space along Kenwood Avenue between 68th and 70th streets.

“The shuttered St. Laurence Catholic Elementary School at 1353 E. 72nd St. reopened its doors last Sunday as the Land School, an arts incubator for artists. Gates rang a bell that once hung in St. Laurence Church, which was demolished in 2014, to welcome the community inside. The last time we saw the school was in 2021, when work was beginning. (Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 9/19/25)

“The Land School is based in the former St. Laurence Elementary School at the intersection of 72nd Street and Dorchester Avenue. The elementary school was shuttered in 2002, and for years faced demolition. Gates eventually bought the 40,000-square-foot school building for $500,000, saving it from the wrecking ball.

“After making the purchase, a seven-year, $12 million restitution project kicked off to convert the former elementary school into an artist hub. The project is similar to others by Gates, a polymath with a city planning degree from Iowa State University and a long history of refurbishing Chicago buildings.

“‘The Land School marks a radical milestone in our work, one where—as a small, experimental arts organization invested in space redemption—we now own our tools and our facility,’ Gates said in a statement.

“In the restitution process, the elementary school’s historic masonry structure, signature plasterwork, and decorative brick was preserved. Moving forward, Gates says the Land School will be a locus for disseminating ‘insights gleaned from Rebuild’s multi-decade artistic approach to place-based practice.’ (Roche, The Architect’s Newspaper, 8/29/25)

St. Laurence Church, School, and Rectory were Preservation Chicago 2011 Chicago 7 Most Endangered. After years of advocacy, the church and rectory were demolished. We are thrilled that Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation purchased, restored and adaptively reused the St. Laurence Church School as an arts incubator and community center. We consider this a best practice and applaud the effort. Its a shame that the St. Laurence Church was demolished as this soaring magnificent space would have been an ideal space for Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation to create and host incredible visual and performing arts.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune and The Architect’s Newspaper

• ‘A wonderful space for joy’: Former Greater Grand Crossing school reopened as arts incubator, Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 9/19/25
• Theaster Gates’s The Land School opens on September 14 in Chicago, Daniel Jonas Roche, The Architect’s Newspaper, 8/29/25
• Theaster Gates’ arts incubator breaks ground in Grand Crossing, The 40,000-square-foot incubator, located in the former St. Laurence elementary school, has some big-name backers, Corli Jay, Crain’s Chicago Business, 5/3/22
• Theaster Gates’ newest community arts incubator breaks ground on Chicago’s South Side, Josh Niland, Archinect, 5/10/22
• Theaster Gates Planning Maker Space In Former St. Laurence Catholic School, Sam Cholke, DNA Chicago, 5/25/16
• St. Laurence Under Demolition, Eric Allix Rogers, Chicago Patterns, 4/25/14
• St. Laurence Church Campus, a Preservation Chicago 2011 Chicago 7 Most Endangered