Renovation update: Q1 2026
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
The real chaos begins
The past three months have been marked by a fair amount of chaos. While most of the construction has been taking place in our Indoor Victory Garden (IVG) next door, the deconstruction has begun in our historic engine hall of the firehouse. In order to make space for our new ADA bathroom, contractors took down a wall and cut through thick concrete to make space for plumbing. Portions of the historic tin ceiling were carefully removed in order to be able to run new electrical conduit through the ceiling. Our Director of Operations, Eric, has made molds of our original tin ceiling so that we can make more tiles to replace some of the damaged ceiling tiles. When complete, our ceiling should look even better than before!
Electricians also began work on our second floor, running conduit for new lighting in our stairwell, emergency lighting, and a new door bell and buzzer in our office. We won't have to run up and down stairs as much anymore! They also removed the last vestiges of cloth wiring in the building.
There's work happening all over the Firehouse!
Eric makes the molds using a silicone mold-making rubber.
A window into our soul...
... is still boarded up, but coming soon! In early March, the masons opened up a formerly bricked up window inside The Firehouse. For most of the 20th century, this window would have had a view of the outdoors. At some point in the early 2000s, a former owner added an uninsulated garage to the north of the building and bricked up almost all of the windows on the first floor. When this window is installed in the coming month, it will provide a view into our "new" Indoor Victory Garden! This means that visitors to our retail will be able to see the plants at work growing next door.
Updated photo of IVG -- Additional drywall, insulation, and plumbing updates!
Upcoming work
We have been in a bit of a holding pattern with all of the exterior work. As soon as day time temperatures are staying in the 40s, we anticipate being able to do some of the most visible changes to the building, including a new and insulated roof, window replacements, and exterior tuckpointing. We cannot wait to have natural light coming back into first floor!
Special thank you to our project team, project lenders —IFF, and Landmarks Illinois — and our generous donors for their support; Builders Initiative, The Chicago Community Trust, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Food:Land:Opportunity, and people like YOU!
It’s not too late to support the only shared indoor community garden in Back of the Yards! Donors of $500 or more can choose to have their donation memorialized in our Firehouse by adorning an interior glazed brick with their name.