Earlier this week, we talked about some of the city’s art districts and how they help build the city’s economic and cultural profile. Places like East Pilsen and Bridgeport have found ways to transform Chicago’s industrial past into havens of artistic output. Now a new area just west of Chinatown may get the same creative make-over. The Cermak Road Creative Industry District, also known as the Spice Barrel District, is still home to all kinds of industry, including a giant concrete plant. A recent grant from the National Endowment of the Arts could help make it a place where art and industry thrive. We wanted to learn more about the area and its historic warehouses so we took a tour with Chicago’s cultural historian Tim Samuelson.

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Images and Facts about Cermak Road Creative Industry District
(Created by Tim Samuelson)

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