Karcher Artspace Lofts

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Overview

The City of Waukegan commands a strategic Lake Michigan site midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. Shipping and manufacturing were its economic lifeblood for decades, but now the city is reinventing itself in the post-industrial age and turning to the arts to help drive economic revitalization of its downtown area.

For Waukegan, an important step in the process was the renovation of the historic Karcher Hotel into a mixed-use arts facility. This nine-story building, located a block from City Hall, opened in 1928 as a 140-room hotel. But like most of downtown Waukegan, it fell on hard times. By the 1970s it had been turned into a senior citizens’ residence, and had stood vacant since 1984 when Artspace entered the scene.

Artspace has now renovated the Karcher at a cost of $14.6 million to create 36 units of affordable live/work space for artists and their families plus 2,811 square feet of ground-floor retail and community space for arts-friendly businesses and nonprofit organizations. Other amenities include a two-story gallery and community room, computer learning center and an outdoor patio.

Development Cost

$14.6 million

Architect

4240 Architecture

Learn More:

Karcher Overview (pdf, 78 KB)

Our Thanks to...:

FINANCING

City of Waukegan llinois Housing Development Authority
JP Morgan Chase
IFF
Lake County
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Raymond James Tax Credit Funds, Inc.
Waukegan Park District

LEAD FUNDERS ($5,000+)

Abdula Family Foundation
AT&T
First Bank of Highland Park
First Midwest Bank
Fred W. Losch Beverage Company
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelly Foundation
Henry Pfau Callahan Memorial Foundation
Beth Levine
William & Suzanne Lindsay
Midwest Generation
NorStates Bank
North Shore Gas
North Shore Trust and Savings
The Richard H. Driehaus FoundationThe McArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus FoundationWaukegan Park District
Waukegan Savings Bank
Dave & Sandi Whitmore

Artspace thanks the many individuals and local businesses that have supported this project.

The Artists

"Artspace had unanimous support of City Council members when it was approved under the last city administration, and aldermen still back it.” — Bob Sabonjian, Mayor of Waukegan

My name is Violet and I love where I live!

I live on Water Street in downtown Waukegan, just a couple blocks from Artspace, and this neighborhood has an amazing arts community. I’ve seen original plays at Clockwise Theatre and incredible musical talents like B.B. King at the Genesee Theatre. There are five galleries within a five minute walking distance, and my friends have some impressive work on display. I got a beautiful tattoo at Dinosaur Studio, where the owner (another Waukegan resident) designs custom artwork and is a very gifted, classically trained watercolorist. The mayor’s photographs (his degree is in the arts) often hang on the wall there too. Across the street at the co-op Dandelion Gallery, I bought a great painting that I have hanging on my wall. On weekends I have to choose whether to go to Big Ed’s for a live blues band, down the street to Burgundy Room for a punk show, or to Jerry’s Tacos for all different kinds of music. During the summer, the Library’s outdoor Concert Series is standing room only, and you can watch little kids practice their routines across the street at Rhythm Academy of Dance.

My favorite part of living here though, is when I get to be a part of the arts scene. Green Town Tavern, just around the corner from my apartment, has Open Mic night on Thursdays and I love playing guitar there. When you walk in, everybody says hi and it’s like a scene from Cheers. One of my friends put it best – “Downtown Waukegan is like urban Mayberry.” At Green Town (named for author Ray Bradbury’s reference to his hometown of Waukegan), everybody is so cool and as intimidating as it is to get up there after somebody has totally rocked it, the crowd is always super friendly and motivating. My dad and I even played a few duets! And with just half a block to carry my guitar home, it’s a great place to hang out all night.

There’s so much happening here and Waukegan is definitely becoming an arts destination. For more info on the whole community, check out the podcast Art Lake Show or the magazine Left of the Lake. You can also visit ArtWauk.com and WaukeganMainStreet.org for upcoming events in downtown Waukegan!

Downtown Waukegan is a great place to call home, especially if you’re an artist.

Resident Artists

Ivy Ford , Musician/Singer

Jerod Howard , Theater Arts

Eric Joseph , Photography

Neighborhood Map

Neighborhood Attractions:

Big Ed's Bar & Grill

We recommend the pulled pork - yum!

visit site »

Dandelion Gallery

The Dandelion Gallery is a non-profit artist cooperative located in Waukegan’s growing Art District. The Dandelion Gallery is run by artists and committed to promoting art, artists, and art education in the community. In collaboration with the city of Waukegan, the Dandelion Gallery hopes to revive, recharge, and reinvigorate the downtown area through exposition of fine art, music and culture.

visit site »

Property Features

Square Feet:

33,386

Live/Work Space

Karcher Artspace Lofts is a nine-story, mixed use arts facility with 36 affordable live/work units for artists and their families. Efficiencies, one-, two- and three-bedroom units range in size from 665 to 1,441 square feet.

The “Karcher Building,” as it is known on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Waukegan landmark. The nine-story building on Washington Street opened in 1928 was a 140-room hotel. It has, however, been vacant since 1984. The 36 units will be both living and studio space designed specifically for the needs of artists – with open floor plans, uninterrupted “gallery walls,” and abundant natural light. The project will feature exposed ductwork and simple finishes will give the units a contemporary loft style look and feel.

Download Building Floorplans

Download Live/Work Unit Floorplans

Commercial Space

Elgin Artspace Lofts has commercial space available

Features:

Ground floor commercial space
Suite C
709 square feet
Will build to suit

Leasing

Karcher Artspace Lofts residential live/work spaces are now fully leased!

We will begin taking names for the waiting list, so if you're interested in leasing a unit, review the Karcher Leasing Information packet and Application to see if you qualify, then contact the Property Manager.

We do have commercial space available in this building. Please call the leasing office for more information.

Move-in Specials for Artists

Restrictions apply. Please contact the leasing office for more information.

Applications will be accepted by appointment, or during office hours:

Monday-Thursday: 10:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon

Leasing office location:
405 Washington Street
Waukegan, IL 60085
Phone: 847.445.6440

How do I qualify for an affordable housing unit?

Artpace follows all federal fair housing guidelines.

Please contact leasing office for rental rates and unit availability.

What is the definition of an artist to qualify for a unit?

Artist is defined as:

A person who works in, or is skilled in any of the fine arts,including but not limited to, painting, drawing, sculpture, book arts, printmaking, and mixed-media.

A person who creates imaginative works of aesthetic value, including but not limited to literature, poetry, photography, music composition, choreography, architecture, film and video.

A person who creates functional art, including but not limited to metal, textiles, paper, wood, ceramic, glass or plastic objects.

A performer or theatrical artist, including but not limited to, singers, dancers, musicians, actors, performance artists, costume, lighting, sound, and set designers.

In all art disciplines, a designer, technician, craftsperson, teacher or administrator who is dedicated to using their expertise within the community to support, promote, present, and/or teach and propagate their art form through events, activities, performances and classes.

Karcher Leasing Information (pdf, 5 MB)

Karcher Application Form (pdf, 196 KB)

Residential Leasing Manager

Onsite Property Manager:

Vanessa Neff

Phone:

847.445.6440

Email:

Commercial Leasing Manager

Asset Manager:

Greg Foley

Phone:

612.812.1999

Email:

Connect with Us

Menu

Menu

Karcher Artspace Lofts

Looking Up in Downtown Waukegan

Main Gallery

Live/work unit

Resident Artist Evan Ford

Basement Blues Jam

Exterior

Grand Opening

Introducing the Artists of Karcher

Art Lives Here

Tour with Ivy Ford