Giordano Dance Moves Into Historic Lincoln Park Church

CHICAGO, IL — Dancers have officially moved into the landmark Hermon Baptist Church in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Giordano Dance Chicago held its ribbon cutting outside the building last Friday. The company plans to add three studios, an administrative space, a rooftop deck and ground floor retail space to the site, while maintaining the structural integrity of the historical church.

Michael McStraw, the company's executive director, said an anonymous donor helped the group purchase the church.

"This is the first meaningful asset in Giordano Dance Chicago's 55-year history and acts to stabilize and secure the organization's next 50 years," McStraw said in a press release.

The church, at 1754 North Clark Street, has been around since 1887. It was built by African American Baptists who lived and worked in the area, and were tired of walking to the South Side to worship. Church representatives said its congregation was growing smaller and the building was aging, so it made no sense to keep it.

The Giordano Dance company purchased the church for $3.25 million, and plans to carry on the building's rich history through art. The company plans to offer a series of community programs while it completes its capital campaign to build the new studios, which is set to be completed in 2021.

Images courtesy of Giordano Dance Chicago and Carol Fox and Associates: Photo 1: Ribbon cutting by Reveuse Photography; Photo 2: GDC's Zachary Heller. Photo by Gorman Cook Photography; Photo 3: GDC's Jacob Frazier & Katie Rafferty. Photo by Gorman Cook Photography; Image 4: rendering by bKL Architects.