Photos: Inside The West Side's Epic New Warehouse-Turned-Skatepark

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 3, 2017 6:20PM

An old, unused warehouse near Fulton Market is getting a dramatic second life as a skatepark/music venue/exhibition space, and it's celebrating its grand opening tonight with a stacked musical bill.

Dubbed House of Vans (the project is spearheaded by the shoe and skate-wear brand), the new space (113 N. Elizabeth St.) unveils its snazzy design on Friday at 6:30 p.m. with performances by excitable Baltimore indie rockers Future Islands, jazz-rap pioneers Digable Planets and Noname, who released one of our very favorite Chicago albums of 2016.

The opening festivities carry on Sunday with an exhibition featuring several emergent photographers, including Jonathan Mehring and Ashley Osborn, followed by a mixed-media workshop with Chad Kouri (The Post Family) then an open house at which, yes, you can skate the ramps and pools at what will be the only (legal) indoor skatepark in the city.

You can RSVP to each scheduled event here.