CHICAGO (CBS) — This story of an old casket factory on Chicago’s West Side has nothing to do with spooky season—it’s all about a new space for children to practice performing arts.
The Loyal Casket Company at 134 S. California Ave. will be the new home for the nonprofit BandWith Chicago .
“This was the place where family came to pick out caskets, and now, it’s where the family will come to nurture and enhance the children,” said BandWith Chicago President Bernetta Smith.
The uniqueness of the history of the building is lost on no one.
“To create a music school and performing arts center in a casket factory—I’ll be honest, even after two years, when I talk about it and I say that, it still feels like a made up project still somehow,” said Chicago Bureau of Economic Development Managing Deputy Commissioner Tim Jeffries.
The idea may sound jarring for some. But for Annie Palomino, executive director of BandWith Chicago, it is a dream come true.