410 S. Michigan Avenue. Originally known as the Studebaker Building (1885–1898), the Fine Arts Building was converted from a carriage assembly and showroom. Reopened after extensive renovation in 1898, it immediately became the hub of Chicago's Arts and Crafts movement as well as a headquarters for a burgeoning musical and literary culture. Scores of artists, sculptors, musicians, music teachers, and fine craftspeople rented studios and offices and opened small shops. Together, they organized an artist's collective known as the Fine Arts Shop, selling bound books, jewelry, and textiles. The ground floor consisted of a central atrium and three auditoriums, including a music hall. Many prominent literary publications occupied the building, including The Dial and Harriet Monroe's Poetry magazine. One group of artists occupying the top-floor studios, coveted for their capacious skylights, formed the Little Room, a social club whose founding members included painters and writers. Social activists contributed to the atmosphere as well, among them the Chicago Woman's Club and the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association.

Derek Vaillant