33 E Washington / SAIC
65,000 square feet

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a global leader in art and design education with a venerable presence in the Loop. In 33 East Washington, SAIC found the ideal space to relocate their graduate student studios and galleries, enhancing the connectivity between students, educators, and the public.

The site is the former annex building of Chicago’s iconic Marshall Field department store. An entry at street level provides urban presence and connects to three floors below. Eastlake Studio developed a master plan to refurbish the historic lobby of the building, activate the street entry, and design a meaningful connection between the lower levels and the city.

As conceived in earlier iterations, our team designed a monumental stair to connect the street front to the galleries and studios on the lower floors, bringing natural light and views deep into the space. The retail front was reimagined as a gallery space for SAIC, inviting the public inside, while an ever-changing artwork projection over the stairs beckons visitors to the galleries and studios below.

Faced in concrete and steel, the monumental stair spans four floors, creating a dramatic volume of space with views into galleries and offices. Minimalist linear lighting lends a functional yet dynamic glow to the geometric forms, recalling the essential spatial forms of modern art

SAIC’s architect of record, Weese Langley Weese, led the design of the galleries, studios, and offices, while Eastlake focused on the façade canopy, MEP infrastructure, and atrium.