Lookingglass Theatre Lobby Site Tour

Have you ever wondered what’s inside one of the oldest buildings in Chicago, and how it can be transformed from industrial function to an expressive, public-facing lobby? Come tour the award-winning Lookingglass Theater lobby renovation, which transformed the space inside the landmark Chicago Avenue Pumping Station into an expressive, public-facing lobby with support spaces, cafe, bar, and rehearsal and education areas. 

The course will explore how preservation constraints can drive design innovation, including the integration of new programmatic elements while maintaining the integrity of landmark structures. 

Learning Objectives  

1. Investigate strategies for transforming historic spaces into contemporary cultural environments. 
2. Examine how design strategies support flexible, multi-use environments.  
3. Analyze the use of modular and industrial systems repurposed for architectural applications.  
4. Explore how inclusive design strategies can enhance accessibility and user experience. 

Speaker Bio  

Calli Verkamp AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Principal at Wheeler Kearns Architects 

Calli received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. Since joining WKA in 2013 Calli has worked on a mix of project types, from single-family residential to adaptive reuse institutional projects. Her experience includes the award-winning Wicker Park Residence, Intelligentsia Monadnock, and The Momentary, the adaptive reuse of a decommissioned Kraft plant into a facility for innovative art. Calli serves as a Director at Large for the Roscoe Village Neighbors and actively mentors young professionals through ACE, Chicago AIA, and Girl Forward.

For AIA Members: AIA Chicago will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. AIA Members cannot self-report courses for AIA CES credit.

For Non-Members: AIA Chicago does not report attendance for non-members. If you would like to request a certificate for proof of participation, please click here.

For Vendor Education Program Attendees (AIA Member and Non-Member): The hosting Vendor will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. To ensure accuracy, please request a certificate of completion from the Vendor.