Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich donned a hard hat recently for a sneak peek of the University of Chicago's new Logan Center for the Arts. Ten years in the making, the one-of-a-kind academic facility unofficially opens today to students. The full package won't be ready til the fall, when all its interconnected spaces will hum in unison. Nominally, there's separate spaces for theater, film, music, poetry, and fine art, but many of the casual spaces between invite improvised uses. The outdoor courtyard hopes to do the same. Crowning the 11-story tower, a 'performance penthouse' will house jazz shows, readings, and other intimate affairs. Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien call this a "mixing bowl" approach to culture and learning. Or, in the words of Logan Center executive director Bill Michel: "We're not just bringing (various) arts under one roof but designing a building to help them interact and mix in new ways." Gotta love the idealism. [Cityscapes, previously]
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