The Salt Shed was a music venue built inside the former Morton Salt packaging and warehousing facility along the Chicago River in the city’s West Town neighborhood. A group of Chicago hospitality companies, including 16″ on Center, bought the vacant industrial site in 2017 and spent roughly $50 million converting it into a live entertainment complex, working with architect Aric Lasher of HBRA Architects while preserving the building’s landmark status.
The venue opened in two phases: an outdoor stage called The Fairgrounds debuted in August 2022 with a Fleet Foxes performance, followed by the indoor room known as The Shed, which opened in February 2023 with a Big Gigantic show. Since then, The Salt Shed has hosted a wide range of touring acts and became known for pairing industrial architecture with a flexible, multi-space concert experience.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: West Town, Chicago, Illinois
- Type: Indoor/outdoor concert venue
- Opened: August 2022 (outdoor), February 2023 (indoor)
- Capacity: About 3,600 indoor, about 5,000 outdoor
- Former use: Morton Salt packaging and warehousing facility
- Famous for: Adaptive reuse of a historic industrial building into a concert venue
From Salt Factory to Concert Hall
Before it hosted concerts, the site operated as a Morton Salt packaging and warehousing facility until the company relocated in 2015, leaving the riverside building vacant. A consortium of Chicago-based hospitality groups purchased the property in 2017 and undertook a multimillion-dollar renovation that kept the structure’s industrial character, including exposed steel and its landmark exterior, while adding modern stages, bars, and sightlines suited to live music.
Two Venues in One
The Salt Shed’s layout gave it flexibility that few Chicago venues could match. The Fairgrounds, its outdoor space along the Chicago River, hosted larger warm-weather shows, while The Shed, the enclosed indoor room, operated year-round for club-sized and mid-sized touring acts. That combination let the venue book everything from intimate sets to larger festival-style outdoor concerts within the same complex.
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The Salt Shed FAQs
Where is The Salt Shed located?
The Salt Shed is located at 1357 N. Elston Avenue in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, along the Chicago River.
What building did The Salt Shed used to be?
The venue was converted from a former Morton Salt packaging and warehousing facility that closed in 2015.
What is The Salt Shed’s capacity?
The indoor room, The Shed, holds about 3,600 people, while the outdoor space, The Fairgrounds, holds about 5,000.
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Photo: Cosmo1976 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.