So, it turns out that anyone who “bikes” to the Merchandise Mart gets in free to Artropolis. That would include the Next Fair (which all you good Art minded Chicagoans should be off too anyway) and Art Chicago. This seems to be in relation to the Mart being named the “largest ‘Green Building’ on Earth.” So, bike it Chicago and love America’s green future and international art.
Tree Hugger Excerpt:
For 78 years, Chicago’s Merchandise Mart has been the world’s largest commercial building; It is also now LEED-EB (existing building) Silver. According to Business Week, “The effort required overhauling decades-old practices and technology, from replacing most of the Mart’s 4,000-plus windows and upgrading rusty motors deep in its subbasements to taking better care of dust mops. The reward: At 78 years of age, the Merchandise Mart is now the biggest green building in the world.”
Business Week notes that “the return has been quick: Thanks to the upgrades, utility bills last year fell about 10%, and occupancy rates climbed to 96%, from 77% a decade ago. “We’ve had a wave of interest,” says Christopher G. Kennedy, president of Merchandise Mart Properties and an heir to former building owner Joseph P. Kennedy. “One prospective tenant, who had passed us over, came back because they require a LEED space.
More at Tree Hugger: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/merchandise-mart-goes-green.php
and Business Week http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2008/db20080319_978885.htm
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