Bridgeport Art Center – History & Overview

Origins and Redevelopment

In 1999, Chicago developers Paul Levy and Tony Augustine of Prairie Management & Development purchased the former Spiegel warehouse at 1200 West 35th Street in Bridgeport. The five-acre site extends from 35th Street on the south to 33rd Place on the north, bordered by Racine Avenue to the east and the South Branch of the Chicago River to the west.

The massive 500,000-square-foot structure, originally built in 1911, began its life as a warehouse and manufacturing facility for Albert Pick & Co., a major supplier to restaurants and hotels. Designed by noted architect A. S. Alschuler in the Classical Revival style, the building underwent major expansions in 1922 and 1928. After serving as a manufacturing hub for decades, Spiegel Catalog occupied the space until 1978, when it was sold to Goodwill Industries. Manufacturing and warehousing continued under various tenants until Prairie Management’s acquisition.

• MORE ON THE ALBERT J. PICK CO. 
• MORE ON SPIEGEL CATALOG

Transformation into the Bridgeport Art Center

While preserving the building’s historic industrial integrity, Prairie Management undertook an extensive renovation program—replacing the roof and boilers, installing new elevators, resurfacing parking lots, and completing a two-year sandblasting and tuck-pointing project. Original architectural details such as skylights, wood plank flooring, and heavy timber posts and beams were carefully restored, while salvaged steel plates were creatively repurposed as stall doors in restrooms.

Today, the building operates as the Bridgeport Art Center (BAC)—a thriving creative campus that hosts more than 120 artists, a Fashion Design Center, and three dedicated galleries presenting eight rotating exhibitions annually. Two premier event spaces—the 18,000-square-foot Skyline Loft and the 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden & Event Space—anchor the site. The latter features granite pavers that mirror the original rail siding of the historic train shed and an ever-changing display of large-scale sculptures from the Chicago Sculpture Exhibition and BAC’s permanent collection.

Tenants and Creative Community

The Bridgeport Art Center is home to over 300 tenants, more than a third of whom are artists working across a wide range of disciplines including ceramics, painting, sculpture, fiber arts, and fashion design. The diverse mix also includes architects, engineers, therapists, media producers, importers, makerspaces, yoga studios, and culinary ventures.