Alfresco South Chicago

The project seeks to evoke the neighborhood’s history through art while attracting patrons to local businesses and encouraging owners to take care of the sidewalks in front of their storefronts. Titled “Who Tells Your Story,” the project brings commissioned art, market stalls for local vendors, streetscape elements, planters, and performance spaces to the corridor. The corridor concept evokes the neighborhood’s history at every scale of the design. The design uses art and artisans to anchors tall vertical frames that reference smokestacks to mart stalls that reference the steel trusses that once cantilevered over the lake.

The goal is to create an inviting, walkable district that encourages residents to gather and stroll while reflecting local voices through art. Featuring four zones that house different types of activations, Alfresco South Chicago includes art stacks, mart stalls, seating, and ground graphics.