S.P.A.C.E. and League of Creative Musicians

Tuning Up an Old Building To Play

By Victoria Scott

Like the tree that falls in a forest when no one is listening, self-described "hobby enthusiast" Craig Golden has for years been making music alone.

But starting this month, Mr. Golden will be able to come out of his house and find others who share his passion in an innovative new space at 1245 Chicago Ave.

Over the last 14 months Mr. Golden and his partners Stuart Rosenberg and Dave Specter have transformed a building that once housed the Khaki clothing store and Minasian rugs into a venue where they can join other Evanstonians to eat, drink and be merry.

They completely gutted and reconfigured the building, creating three distinct facilities. From the front, they consist of a restaurant that is open to the public; then in the middle, a rentable event or concert space accessible to the public by invitation or ticket; and in back, a club with recording studios and other perks for members only.

Streetside, an elegant façade of Indiana limestone, formerly hidden behind a weathered wooden sign, hints at the thoughtful interior. The front door opens to Union Pizzeria, a chic but cozy collaboration between Campagnola restaurateur Steven Schwartz and chef Vince DiBattista. Walls of exposed brick and a hand-built pizza oven set the scene for a menu that emphasizes local and organic food and a 20-seat bar stocked with microbrews, imported and domestic beers, and international wines.

Mr. Rosenberg explains the logic of the restaurant/ music combination by saying, "Everyone likes to eat." Restaurant patrons, he says, will "get used to a nice, sensual experience" and move on to encounter the arts in the next room. Club members will have signing privileges at Union Pizzeria, along with private dining facilities in the clubrooms at the rear of the building.

Doors behind the bar open to a 3,000-square-foot area with a mission as lofty as its ceiling. Its name, S.P.A.C.E., is an acronym for the Society for the Preservation of Arts and Culture in Evanston.

However grand the developers' goal for culture and community, it is not new. "The idea has been germinating for years," says Mr. Rosenberg, a professional musician and former host for National Public Radio concerts broadcast from Navy Pier. "Twenty years ago there was a private expression of the same thing."

He and his partners envision this 3,000-square-foot room as a "blank creative canvas" for the community, says Mr. Rosenberg, a venue suitable for "any creative expression needing space." Flexible enough for a business meeting by day, S.P.A.C.E. could then accommodate a social event or concert by night.

Along with a soaring, beamed ceiling and wood floor salvaged from an old East-coast barn, S.P.A.C.E. boasts a portable stage and state-of-the-art video and audio recording equipment and lighting.

Even before the formal opening, the room is in use. While he talks, Mr. Rosenberg helps break down the equipment he and his band have just used to rehearse for their weekend gig with Theodore Bikel in the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

By fall, Mr. Rosenberg says the partners hope to have scheduled subscription concerts here - "jazz, singer/songwriter, folk and classical" - and, perhaps, "an Evanston hootenanny where everyone comes together to sing." They expect the very presence of the S.P.A.C.E. "will stimulate interest and will tell us what will go on," he says.

If S.P.A.C.E. caters to the general public, the back rooms are intended to appeal to a more specific population - passionate musicians.

This is the headquarters of the League of Creative Musicians, the focal point of the project and the repository of the developers' dreams. "The club aspect makes [the project] unique," says Mr. Rosenberg. He says he knows of nothing like it.

Mr. Golden is quick to qualify the club's name as "tongue-in-cheek"; he refers to the League as "a co-op" or "a YMCA for musicians," while Mr. Rosenberg compares it to a country club.

The space consists of four isolated rooms and one small vocal booth. Each space can function as a recording studio or a control room for any other. "The architecture of the studios is complex," to ensure that sound is not transmitted from one room to another, says Mr. Rosenberg. The ceiling, for instance, is suspended from another ceiling; the walls sit on neoprene gaskets in the interest of soundproofing.

Yet community, not isolation, is the point of the club. The ambience is comfortable, even luxurious, though work is still underway. Cushy leather and chrome furniture - what pieces have arrived - invites lounging. Rooms are warm and inviting, each with distinctive windows and wall treatments.

The club is intended to be, says Mr. Golden, "a good hang"; Mr. Rosenberg sees it as "a home away from home."

Clearly, they are invested here in ways beyond the financial. While carrying a brand-new desk into the office and pulling up the tape that still keeps protective paper in place on the floors, the two talk about their vision for the League.

Professional musicians will lend their expertise to amateurs; older musicians will mentor teens; groups will play for senior citizens. Commercial viability, says Mr. Rosenberg, is not the point. Above all, everyone will have fun.

For Mr. Golden, who is readying the place for the 250-some guests he expects at his 50th birthday party, a Walt Disney saying rings true: "‘We don't make movies to make money,'" he quotes. "'We make movies to make movies.'"

Three Crowns Park Grand Opening

Preview Showcases Swedish Retirement Foundation Activities

Susan Morse, executive director of Threee Crown Park chats with Mayor Lorraine Morton, right.

Friends of Three Crowns Park, 2400 Colfax St., gathered recently to preview the grand opening of their new expansion project, McDaniel Courts. Three Crowns Park's board president Marv Lofquist and affiliated Swedish Retirement Foundation's board president Jim Elsass spoke to the guests.

Mr. Lofquist said, "Three Crowns Park has been serving seniors for over 100 years. In fact, we have been doing such a great job at helping people, we realized that if we did not expand our services, we could very well go out of business. This is how we came to the decision to build 91 new independent living apartments."

Mr. Elsass explained, "It has always been our philosophy to help people in need. Originally, no resident paid anything toward care. They were unable to. We still do, to this day, help residents who have depleted their resources and are unable to pay the entire cost of their care. This is one way that the funds we raise are used."

"Additionally," Mr. Elsass continued, "we want to develop creative programs that will help to serve the upcoming swell of baby boomers in the future. The foundation will be looking into this."

UNICEF Taps Spirit of Giving

During World Water Week, March 16 - 22, UNICEF is asking Chicagoland diners to visit their favorite eatery or watering hole and pay $1 for something they normally get for free - tap water.

It is all to support UNICEF's Tap Project, a program launched last year to help supply drinking water to parts of the world where clean, safe water is a rare commodity. More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water sources; more than 5,000 children die each day from dehydration and other water-related illnesses.

"Simply contributing $1 while you're out enjoying a meal is enough to provide one child with 40 days of clean drinking water," says Casey Marsh, Midwest director of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Started in New York City, the Tap Project is going national for the first time. Nearly 200 Chicago and suburban restaurants and bars are registered to take part. More than 33 Evanston establishments are among them, says Dan Kelch, owner of Lulu's.

"I think it's a great project," says Mr. Kelch. Of the many charitable causes that come along, he says, there is "seldom one that restaurateurs across the country embrace so quickly. A lot of people have connected [with Tap]."

Participating restaurants and bars will display the Chicago Tap Project logo. For a list, visit www.tapproject.org/chicago.

St. John's Calls New Pastor

St. John's United Church of Christ has called the Rev. Dr. Janet Boyd as its pastor. Rev. Boyd, a former resident of Evanston, is a graduate of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston and earned her degree of Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

"I am delighted to be back in the Evanston area and serving as pastor of St. John's UCC," said Rev. Boyd. "This church was once truly a neighborhood church, but, like many mainline denominations, has seen its membership shrink as people moved out of the area. What remains, however, is a core group of faithful people, involved in a variety of mission projects and committed to serving the people in the community around them."

Dance Marathon 2008 Breaks Fundraising Record

Northwestern University students who participated in the 34th annual Dance Marathon, March 7-9, netted a record-breaking $933,855 in total donations (including product donations) for two local beneficiaries. The Dance Marathon executive board presented a check for $593,739.97 to the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Another check for $65,971.11 went to the Evanston Community Foundation, Dance Marathon's secondary beneficiary since 1998.

An all-time high of 750 dancers participated in the 30 hours of dancing. Teams from 31 student organizations danced in the 2008 marathon. In addition to the dancers, more than 300 students worked all year long, fundraising, volunteering and preparing for the event.

Lights Out for Earth Hour

The City of Evanston is joining the City of Chicago and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus in making a statement on climate change by asking community members to join together on March 29 to turn off lights between 8 and 9 p.m. and make Earth Hour 2008 a truly regional and global event