Borrower
Stony Island, LLC
Community Value
Community Facility
Loan Product
Construction and Rehabilitation Loan
Amount
$2,700,000
Location
South Shore, Chicago
Narrative
Since 2009, Gates has been a recognized name in artist communities all over the world. The Wall Street Journal named him their Innovator of the Year in 2012. In 2012, he acquired an old bank building in Chicago’s South Shore community that had been abandoned and vacant for the last 30 years. He envisioned the 19,065 square foot dilapidated bank as a multi-use facility which would house offices for a nonprofit, provide event/exhibit/studio space, a restaurant and a research archive/library. He wanted to fill the need for a cultural and community space in the South Shore area. Since its opening last October, the Arts Bank has received several awards including the Urban Land Bank Vision Award for Adaptive Re-Use. Gates is the founder of the Rebuild Foundation which has created spaces for art and culture on the South Side such as the Black Cinema House and the Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative.Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council since 2012. Mr. Rhodes received the Chicago Community Trust Experienced Leader Fellowship in 2013.