Building reuse center opens

In our 2008 Fall Preview, I wrote about a new Home Depot-esque building center moving to Chicago. The genius of the Rebuilding Exchange is that, unlike the ugly and impersonal Home Depot, all materials are gently used. The center does this by deconstructing Chicago's choice selection of old, beautiful buildings. So you get your pick of solid older-growth lumber (no rain forests were cleared in the process), oak doors, lighting fixtures, sub-zero fridges, porcelain tubs and sinks and more. Pretty freaking cool considering the amount of construction materials sitting in landfills—about 40 percent of all solid waste—makes me wanna gag.

So, my initial August write-up turned out to be a wee bit early—the mega-store now opens February 13th from 6-10pm. The building is in the up-and-coming Brighton Park hood—at 3333 W 47th St to be exact—and the opening party kicks off with live music, food, and a live and silent auction.  If you can't wait until then to lay your hands on the building goods, make a shopping appointment with Elise Zelechowski (the brilliant mind behind the whole thang) at 312-554-0900 x 20.