Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

The stunning new facility includes enhanced gallery, classroom and library space, a 400-seat theatre, event space with dramatic views of Lake Michigan and Grant Park, a children’s center, a café, giftshop and state-of-the-art storage capabilities for the collections of the Spertus Museum, the Asher Library and the Chicago Jewish Archives.

The ten-story faceted window wall that forms the façade of the new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is built from 726 windows in 556 different shapes. The geometry of the façade is unique because the surface is constantly tilting in three dimensions, resulting in individual units of glass that are parallelograms rather than rectangles. Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin called the new building "boldly innovative" and "skillfully done" and wrote, "The building will strike a remarkable balance between respecting the row and making a powerful contemporary statement."