The Event Studio
3,290 sq ft · 230 seated · 220 with a dance floorPolished concrete, a 17-foot ceiling, acoustic treatment and a wall of windows onto the garden. Uplights and café lights are in; the garden doors open onto the lawn.
Private & corporate events
Host it where the glass is made.
An event venue with a working hot shop: the Event Studio, the Urban Garden and the Rooftop Deck for up to 220 guests, with our artists a few steps from the dance floor.
The Urban Garden · A summer party
A hot shop, gallery and event venue located in West Loop.
- Guests
- Up to 220
- Space
- 9,000 sq ft
- Evenings
- 12 hours, setup and breakdown included
- Daytime
- From $4,500 · 8am to 3pm
The spaces
Three spaces, one rental.
Facilitate an experience for your guests from start to finish with our Rooftop, Garden and Event Studio spaces. The full venue comes with every evening rental May-October, the Event Studio on its own from November to April.
The Urban Garden
2,400 sq ft · Lawn, fruit trees, glass artThrough a custom glass gate, a garden among fruit trees and glass sculptures, with the hot shop footsteps away. Cafe lights and light up glass features included.
The Rooftop Deck
3,290 sq ft · 360° skylinePicture your event, with skyline views. Lounge groupings and cocktail furniture included.
With the full venue: the gallery, as a rain plan or for registration, and a private green room for 12.
Occasions
What people hold here.
Pick the template closest to yours. Live glassblowing demonstrations or hands-on glassblowing activities available to add to your event.
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From formal corporate celebrations, to casual team-building events to celebrate milestones, turn up the heat at Ignite. Add on a glassblowing demonstration or make-your-own stations to your event!
Ornament stations from $95–$150 a person -
Your team works one-on-one with our artists in the hot shop to craft their very own glass creation. Teams of three or four can make one piece together, turning this hands-on activity into an opportunity to collaborate and experience something new as a team.
From $90 a person -
A reception among the glass, with a live demonstration as the centerpiece. For a launch, our artists can work in your brand colors and make a piece on the night.
Live demonstration $1,000 · keep the piece +$500 -
Seated dinners for up to 230 in the Event Studio, cocktails in the garden, and awards cut and engraved in-house. Nonprofits get 15% off the space.
Glass awards from $150–$600 each -
Birthdays, anniversaries, showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties: make glass together, then eat in the garden. Bring your own snacks, or add a caterer and the venue for a bar.
Blow your own piece from $165 a person -
Weekdays from 8am to 3pm: the Event Studio for the session, the garden for lunch, and an adventure in the hot shop to close out. Bring in a catering partner from our list, or do a drop off order depending upon the size of your group.
Daytime rental $4,500 on weekdays -
A garden ceremony, dinner in the Event Studio and the skyline from the roof, with a glass ceremony made by our artists. Weddings have their own page, pricing and inquiry form.
Up to 220 guests · full-venue rentals from $6,500
The glass
Put your guests next to 2,000°F.
The hot shop · Live demonstrationWatch it made, or make it yourselves.
For a crowd, a one-hour demonstration: our artists work molten glass while a narrator takes questions, and a piece for you. For a group, hands-on sessions in the hot shop, one guest at a time with an artist instructor.
Hands-on sessions run on weekdays by appointment, and on a limited basis on weekends. Book 15 business days ahead with a guaranteed headcount. Pieces are ready to collect in 5 business days, or to ship for an additional fee.
- Live demonstration
- $1,000one hour · any size
- Keep the piece
- +$500made during the demonstration
- Hot shop to yourselves
- $1,500larger hands-on groups · bar through a caterer
- Shipping a piece
- $30 · $35in Illinois · beyond
Hands-on experiences
Team glassblowing
Teams of 3–4 make one piece together, about 25 minutes a team. Best for 50–120 people.
from $90 a personMake your own bottle stopper
10–15 minutes a person. Groups of up to 32, or 48 with the hot shop to yourselves.
from $85 a personMake your own paperweight or ornament
About 20 minutes a person. Groups of up to 24, or 36 with the hot shop to yourselves.
from $100 a personBlow your own piece
A bud vase, bowl, drinking glass or ornament, 30–35 minutes a person. Groups of up to 18, or 27 with the hot shop to yourselves.
from $165 a person
- Each guest works one-on-one with an artist instructor; most groups have 1–2 instructors
- Closed-toe shoes and cotton clothing; we provide safety glasses
- Everyone signs a liability waiver on arrival
- Bring your own snacks and non-alcoholic drinks with a clean up fee; for a bar, add a caterer and the venue rental
- A 20% gratuity is added for hands-on groups
In the hot shop
Branded gifts and awards
Made here, engraved here.
Hand-blown glassware with your logo, awards on bases cut in our own shop, and ornaments for the holiday party. From $35–$150 a piece with a 25-piece minimum; allow 4–6 weeks.
Pricing
Venue pricing.
One evening rental gives you all three spaces and the gallery for 12 hours, setup and breakdown included. From November to April, the Event Studio is guaranteed, and the Urban Garden and Rooftop Deck are yours too, weather permitting. Daytime rentals run 8am to 3pm.
| When | Monday–Thursday | Friday and Sunday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|
| May–OctoberAll three spaces · evenings | $7,500 | $9,000 | $10,500 |
| November–AprilEvent Studio guaranteed · evenings | $6,500 | $7,000 | $8,000 |
| Daytime8am setup · out by 3pm | $4,500 Monday–Friday | $5,500 Saturday and Sunday | |
Included
- Two on-site facilities managers
- 40 padded white chairs
- 10 cabaret and 10 highboy tables
- 8 color-changing uplights
- Café lights in the garden and Event Studio
- Lounge groupings in the garden and on the roof
- The gallery, as a rain plan or for registration
- A private green room for 12
- Coat racks and hangers for 150
- 4 easels and a chalkboard welcome sign
- Lawn games
Add-ons
- Live glassblowing demonstration
- $1,000one hour
- Keep the demonstration piece
- +$500
- Hands-on glassblowing
- from $85a person
- Hot shop to yourselves
- $1,500
- Tables-and-chairs package
- $1,500150 chairs · 15 rounds or 8-foot tables
- Extra time
- $250a half hour
- Caterer not on our list
- $500
- Security
- $50an hour
50% deposit at signing, the balance 30 days before. 15% off the space rental for nonprofits and military members, active-duty and veterans. Events ending after 11pm on weekdays or 1am on weekends carry a fee.
Planning
The details.
What planners ask before they book.
Catering
Choose from our approved caterers with no fee. For caterers not on our list we charge a fee of $500, have them sign our catering agreement 30 days ahead, and provide insurance, City of Chicago catering and liquor license.
Alcohol
Through your caterer. Hands-on glassblowing groups that want a bar add a caterer and the venue rental.
Sound and end times
Outdoor amplified sound ends at 9pm on weekdays and Sundays and at 10pm on Saturdays. Indoors, events can run to 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends; later carries a fee. Extra time is $250 a half hour when available.
Accessibility
The building is fully accessible and ADA compliant, with an elevator.
Getting here and parking
One block southeast of Grand and Ashland, 2.5 miles from the Loop. CTA Green and Pink Lines to Ashland/Lake. Unmetered street parking around the building; ask about attendants or valet.
Security
Depending on the size and nature of the event, we may ask for security from our approved provider, at $50 an hour.
Visit
Come walk it.
Walkthroughs are by appointment, most weekdays. Tell us your date and headcount and we reply by email with availability and a time to see the spaces.