CHICAGO -- A famous Chicago landmark was officially turned into one of the most unique concert venues ever created one year ago on Sunday.
After five years of renovation, The Salt Shed opened the inside venue on Feb. 18, 2023, and has continued to find unique ways of hosting memorable evenings at the historic space.
Located between North Avenue and Division Street on Elston Avenue, the Morton Salt factory became a distinguishing symbol for many Chicagoland natives as they passed by on the Kennedy Expressway.
"It was a landmark of our childhood," owner Bruce Finkelman said. "It's kind of a historical story about growing up in Chicago. When you hit that landmark of the Morton Salt Girl you knew you were going downtown."
Built between 1929 and 1930, the Morton Salt factory operated as a storage, packing, and distribution center until they closed the Elston facility in 2015. For 85 years, the "Elston Dock" provided salt for residents, municipalities and other industries around Chicago and the Midwest.
The iconic umbrella-carrying Morton Salt Girl design with the company slogan "When it Rains it Pours" was painted in the early 1980s.
Finkelman and his partner Craig Golden of 16 On Center always wondered what was inside the facility and what it would be like to host a concert there. An idea they've had nearly 20 times over the past 30 years at iconic locations around Chicago.
"As the Empty Bottle grew, we did Long Man and Eagle, we did Thalia Hall that was a geographical landmark in our day-to-day," Finkelman said. "Taking the (Empty Bottle) from a dilapidated hole in the wall bar to letting it be its own thing. To us, it's the most sincere form of interior design is to let those things shine."
The pair turned the 20th-century industrial complex "production shed" design into a 300,000-square-foot entertainment facility that continues to have an impact on the community and eventgoers.
"We had to figure out how to take an 80-year-old, crumbling salt factory and had to make it into a place we were able to house and host shows not only safely, but comfortably," Finkelman said. "This was really an opportunity for us to show these historic buildings and let them be and let them show the history that has taken place in them."
Even with thousands of iterations of what the entire property could look like for events, Craig designed the inside grandstands on the back of a cocktail napkin.
"The idea that he came up with for the grandstands are exactly how he drew it with a pencil," Finkelman said. "But everything else has been through a thousand iterations for what it is today."
While working with another developer who owned the land, Bruce and Craig collaborated on the idea of transforming the factory into a venue. Times challenged their hopes and patience, but finally they were able to begin the process.
Five years before they were able to open the doors, construction and renovation were delayed by the pandemic.
Bruce remembered Craig telling him that they could've scrapped that idea entirely to build a "vanilla box to hold shows at in a year," but that would've been against what they stand by with 16 On Center, by readapting and reusing landmark facilities.
"I think that the way the script is written, it gave us a chance to really look at the place and organically grow, instead of having to force it to what it could've been if we didn't have that time," Finkelman said.
In August of 2022, Finkelman and Golden held the first concert on The Salt Shed fairgrounds. The 15 shows over the first year of opening the fairgrounds proved to be beneficial for Bruce and Craig as it gave them the opportunity to explore more creative ways of utilizing the space.
The most rewarding moment for Bruce was when they opened the doors for eventgoers to enjoy the space they created.
From political rallies to watch parties, from holiday markets to holding a 500-person bingo night, The Salt Shed has been used to host memorable nights for many to enjoy.
Holding unique events such as “Crying at The Shed,” which is a movie night at the venue where audience members got to enjoy a film and a soundscape for the 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” by award-winning composer Jon Brion.
The 2004 hit played on a screen behind Brion as he performed the musical score of the Oscar-winning film.
And the connections they've built over the past 30 years continues to be a benefactor in hosting events or concerts that seem to come full circle for 16 On Center.
"To be able to see The Flaming Lips, who played at the Empty Bottle, and to be able to revisit that and see them grow with us into this new facility," Finkelman said.
One of the things that Bruce and Craig are looking forward to is being able to develop the site even more, including a new space that sits above the overstory of The Salt Shed, a boat dock on the north branch of the Chicago River, and a Brewpub by Goose Island will open this March.
"As hopes and dreams happen, now we're doing it," Finkelman said.
To celebrate the anniversary of opening the indoor portion of The Salt Shed, Bruce and Craig held an intimate luncheon with the team that helped make this project a reality.
"Nothing would've been able to happen without the amazing team that we put forth on that site to be able to make it work."
Bruce and Craig will be focusing on The Salt Shed for now until they find a new project where they can revitalize a historic space in Chicago.
"The amazing blank canvas that that facility has given to us has provided us with the ability to organically continue to evolve that space," Finkelman said. "I'm really excited for the things that we're going to able to provide to our Chicago neighborhood."
"It just shows the amazing things that are up and coming and that people can be excited for," Finkelman said. "And we've only scratched the surface."
What's next for Bruce, Craig, and The Salt Shed?
"We're going to continue to play with this playground for a while."
Click Here for more information on The Salt Shed. Click Here to learn more about 16 On Center.