New music venue 'The Salt Shed' shakes things up opening on the former Morton's site
CHICAGO (CBS) -- No doubt you've seen the building every time you drive down the Kennedy Expressway: the old Morton Salt factory.
Tuesday night, it transforms into Chicago's newest music venue. CBS 2's Lauren Victory got a sneak peek ahead of all the action, while CBS 2's Marybel González got to talk to concertgoers afterward.
Crews put the final seasonings on the stage, lights, and logos Tuesday afternoon at city's newest entertainment venue: The Salt Shed, at 1356 N. Elston Ave. For now, it is only hosting outdoor events while renovations continue at the namesake building.
In case you don't get the name, perhaps you'll recognize the location. The Salt Shed is on site of the Morton Salt factory that can be seen from the highway off Elston Avenue north of Division.
The side of the building advertises Morton Salt in blue text over the white sloped roof, along with the familiar slogan, "When it rains, it pours," and an image of the iconic Umbrella Girl.
"I would drive by the salt sign on this freeway, and, 'When it rains it pours,'" said concertgoer Derek Erdman, "and never once did I think I would see a concert in this venue."
CBS 2 asked partner Craig Golden if he's still finding salt after years of construction. He said he sure is.
"The salt comes out from everywhere. Every time we move the ceiling it drops out in bricks," he joked.
In all seriousness, Golden tells us salt corroded a lot of steel in what was a salt holding area. The former salt shed took a year to fix and will be a separate, indoor concert space for about a crowd of about 3,500 people.
"There's structural challenges, mechanical challenges and of course health and safety," said Golden of some of the difficulties encountered when retrofitting the nearly 100-year-old factory.
The building needed new lighting and bathrooms, among other things. The Salt Shed lobby is still in the works as is the decision for what will go in the room featuring a gigantic old boiler.
"We tried to keep as much of the remnants that were save-able to just make sure there's some authentic salt shed left," said Golden, pointing to pieces like an old conveyor belt that now holds stage lights that will illuminate more than performances.
The outdoor space called Outside the Shed will also host markets and fairs. Eventually, customers can shop in retail spaces being built into the building.
"Education and entertainment and food and culture. I think to be able to focus on all four of those in one venue I think will be very impactful," said Golden.
Of course, he hopes experiences will be memorable too -- just like the Morton Salt name. Our cameras spotted painting in progress on the front side of the building visible from the highway, so we had to ask about the fate of the façade with the Morton Salt logo and the Umbrella Girl.
Rest assured, it's not going anywhere.
"That logo has been landmarked by the city," said Golden.
It'll be another six to eight months before the rocking starts inside the Salt Shed.
For now, the outdoor concert space is open all summer long – and already attracting music lovers from different cities and of all ages.
"It's super cool with the old brick building, and they have the café lights strung for the ambience, and it was just like a really great venue – and you've got the skyline in the background," said concertgoer Ashley Levitt. "It was just an awesome time."
Makaya McCraven, Sons of Kemet, and Nubya Garcia took the stage Tuesday night.
And apparently, word is getting out about the outdoor space. A Wednesday concert featuring the Fleet Foxes is already sold out to a 4,500 person audience.
