Loft Walk October 30!

2010 Loft Walk, Oct. 30, 10-3

Public Will View Innovative Solutions for City Living

It's one of the South Loop's most anticipated events -- South Loop Neighbors' Loft Walk. Now in its 11th year, this popular community happening showcases a unique selection of private residences that are open for public viewing for one day only. This year, it's Saturday, October 30, 10:00-3:00 p.m.

It's part history tour; it's part architecture tour; it's part design and home decor tour. There's something for everyone.

Every fall, hundreds of people come from the South Loop and around the Chicago metro area to see inside 100-year-old printing factories that have been converted into stylish urban residences on Printers Row, or 100-year-old automobile showrooms that have been likewise converted on Motor Row, as well as shiny new high-rises and "soft lofts" that offer all the modern amenities.

The Loft Walk tour is really about a lifestyle - Chicago's urban, loft lifestyle - and how that lifestyle very specifically grew out of this area's history, first as a railroad hub and the nation's printing center at the turn of the century, which created the high loft buildings with large windows on the narrow blocks near Dearborn Station. Then there was the abandonment of these buildings and their discovery and re-use as residences and studios by artists and bohemians. And now, all sorts of people love living in these old, converted factories and warehouses.

To meet the demand, developers are now putting up new buildings and re-creating many of the features of the old converted lofts - the open space and flexibility it gives, the large scale, high ceilings, big windows and the light. Plus, many of the new buildings incorporate industrial elements - exposed pipes, bare bricks - because people want that allure, that sense of story, a romantic feeling that something important happened here before them.

And the South Loop gives people all those things. We have an authentic industrial heritage, which later created an artistic legacy. And that all plays a part in the lives people are living here today. The Loft Walk tour is a window into that world.

Loft Walk tickets are $30 and can be purchased with a credit card on the SLN website (below). Tickets can be purchased "at the door" with cash only on the day of the event and will be available after 9:00 a.m. at the tour starting point, To Be Determined. Note: Advance tickets are $20 until Oct. 18th.

Proceeds benefit South Loop Neighbors, a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Founded in 1996 as Historic Printers Row Neighbors, South Loop Neighbors is a non-profit membership-based organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the South Loop's neighborhoods and preserving the area's landmark districts.

Click Here to Purchase Loft Walk Tickets Now.

Loft Life magazine: Loft Walk Recap

Loft Walk 2009 Sponsors