Chicago Human Rhythm Project Receives Major Award from City of Chicago to Expand Mayfair Arts Center 

Thanks to an $792K award from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, bolstered by more than $350K in private funds, Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) will make critical improvements and expand its community cultural center, the Mayfair Arts Center (MAC), to support arts education programs and economic development in and around Calumet Heights. 

The CHRP-managed space is currently shared with eight Core Resident Partners including Black Girls Dance, Najwa Dance Corps, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Movement Revolution Dance Crew, Emma Mae’s SunRays, Ayodele Drum and Dance, Russell Talbert Ballet, Juliani Ensemble and a growing number of additional community partners. 

CHRP acquired the building at 8701 S. Bennett Ave. in July 2021 when the pandemic forced the family-run South Side institution, the Mayfair Academy (MA), to close after 63 years of extraordinary service to the community, potentially creating a cultural vacuum in an already disinvested neighborhood. 

“CHRP and the Mayfair Academy had been collaborating for decades when Peggy called me to share her decision to close” explained CHRP Executive Director, Lane Alexander. “I shared that we were looking for a new home for the same reason, economic pressure caused by the pandemic. CHRP has since been honored to help support the Mayfair Academy legacy with the blessings of Peggy, while at the same time bringing our own programs and business model to Calumet Heights.”

Following a $250K “paint and repair” grant from the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund in late 2021, CHRP received two pre-development grants from the The Chicago Community Trust’s Catalyzing Neighborhood Investment and the Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development’s  Equitable Transit Oriented Development program to  assess programs and develop architectural plans. Based on the envisioned and comprehensive list of improvements and a major facility expansion, the pre-dev process revealed an eye popping price tag of more than $7mil, almost twice the original cost estimate. 

“We weren’t ready for that size of a project or financial lift so with the experience and information gained, our board of directors opted for a phased approach to facility and program expansions. We identified those repairs, improvements and modest additions that would allow us to grow at a sustainable rate for the next three to five years which would also give us the time to build toward the larger dream. So, we submitted a Universal Financial Incentives application describing our plans and raised enough funds from private sources to qualify for city support. Now it’s time to execute.” said Alexander.

The MAC, built in 1953 as a special purpose elementary school for children with learning disabilities, is 11,000sf with five dance studios, administrative, meeting and community spaces, dressing rooms, one music studio and a large kitchen. The impending facility improvements and expansion will include:

• A state-of-the-art 2,000-square-foot divisible studio above the kitchen

• Reconfigured interior spaces to create new music practice and rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms and storage space

• Facility wide painting, remodeled 2nd floor bathrooms and new furniture

• New roof, perimeter fencing, exterior lighting and signage 

• Improvements to both entrances on the east and west sides of the building

• Commercial refrigerators and other upgrades to the kitchen

• Enhanced security features

• Repaved parking lot

“This expansion for the MAC is the beginning of my dreams coming true…” expressed Artistic Director, Jumaane Taylor. “CHRP has already been doing collaborative work with musicians, dance companies and multiple arts organizations, but this new development will hopefully inspire the whole community to witness the wholehearted work.” 

These renovations and additions will enable more efficient and functional use of the entire facility, allowing CHRP, MAC, and the Core Resident and Community Partners to continue growing over the next 2-5 years. This strategic investment provides the necessary time to plan for a possible larger expansion, which will seek to align with major developments to the north (Obama Presidential Center), east (Quantum Computing Campus), and southwest (Pullman Historic District) . The MAC is part of a broader vision to support the revival of the South Side of Chicago over the next 15 to 25 years.
 

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