Before we kiss off 2006, here’s a checkup on some of the year’s loose ends—deals finally done, controversies gone cold, mysteries still unsolved.
After months of e-mailed distress signals about its impending homelessness, the Chicago Photography Center got over the hump and purchased its space at 3301 N. Lincoln last week for $1.2 million. It’s a milestone for the group, which formed after Hull House effectively booted Richard Stromberg’s program four years ago. But don’t look for the cash call to stop anytime soon. CPC board secretary Roger Rudich says Friends of the CPC, an ad hoc corporation of about 20 do-gooder investors, put up $360,000 for a down payment on the two-floor commercial condo. That money is due to be paid back with 5 percent interest in five years—and it’s not likely to be raised solely in class and rental fees. Rudich says they expect to secure a significant portion through “a major fund-raising campaign in planning right now.”
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Looks like the Merchandise Mart and Art Chicago won’t have to worry about a competing art fair at Navy Pier in 2007; DMG World Media has pulled the plug on its plan to hire a director and mount what producer Mark Lyman had said would be a “world-class show” at the Pier. Lyman says that after polling a number of key dealers internationally, DMG decided the best thing for Chicago would be to “sit tight a bit and let time take care of some things.”
