Mission
Comfort Station activates a historic building with public, community-driven programs that foster vibrant connections at the intersection of art and life.
Since 2011, we have operated out of a 1920s city-owned building that was once intended to be a space for travelers to stay warm while waiting for public transportation. That legacy fuels our mission to act as a porous and public gathering space for a variety of creative communities.
History
The Logan Square Comfort Station was one of nine identical Tudor-style West Parks Public Comfort Stations constructed in 1926 and 1927. Only two are still standing, the second located along Austin Avenue in Columbus Park.
In 2005, Logan Square Preservation began an active campaign to restore the Comfort Station. Through a partnership with the City of Chicago and 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colon, TIF funds were used to clean and restore the building to its original 1926 appearance including complete cleaning and tuckpointing of brick, a new clay tile roof, stucco, tudoring, copper gutters, and restored windows.
When renovations were completed in 2010, informal visual arts programming inside the building began through efforts by volunteers associated with Logan Square Preservation. By 2011 these efforts had grown and brought in a wider circle of programmers and curators, expanding the programming into concerts, film screenings, workshops and more. In 2016, Comfort Station NFP was formed as a distinct 501c3 non profit, which now officially partners with Logan Square Preservation to run the programming in and around the building.