DUSABLE TO BUILD $ 582K OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE
An unused gravel lot at the DuSable Museum of African American History inWashington Park will be converted into a revenue- generating “event space” for weddings and corporate events, thanks to a $ 582,440 makeover in the works.
With $ 500,000 from the city and $ 82,440 from the Chicago Park District, the city hopes to turn 15,000 square feet of dead space along the eastern edge of the DuSable Roundhouse building into a moneymaker with potential to boost museum attendance.
Stairs at the Roundhouse basement will be rebuilt. Grass, flowers and permeable pavers will be installed. Ornamental fencing will be added along the south border.
The work started Monday and is expected to be completed in time for the Chicago Architectural Biennial in September, when the DuSable Museum is expected to serve as one of six “neighborhood anchor sites.”
In a press release announcing the renovation, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the new space at the nation’s oldest African- American museum a “unique location to celebrate special occasions inWashington Park.”
Earlier this year, a shake- up on the board that oversees the DuSable Museum brought in Chicago superstar Chance the Rapper; his father, Ken Bennett, and physician Eric Whitaker, a close friend of former President Barack Obama.
The elder Bennett once served as Emanuel’s chief liaison to the black community. Ken Bennett currently serves as a senior adviser to the tourist agency known as Choose Chicago.
Located at 740 E. 56th Place, the DuSable Museum has struggled financially in recent years but has attempted to turn the tide under the leadership of President and CEO Perri Irmer.
The outdoor events space is particularly well- timed. Construction of the Obama Presidential Center in nearby Jackson Park is expected to have a spillover effect.