The newest star of the Charles North-Station North neighborhoods opened this week — a place called the Motor House, at 120 W. North Ave.

Its name is a nod to the site’s former incarnations as Ford and Graham-Paige auto dealerships, but the old building has seen many other uses. I knew it as the Lombard Office Supply and, more recently, as the Load of Fun Gallery. Single Carrot Theatre had a run here, too.

After a $6.5 million restoration, this three-story auto showroom and circa-1914 garage has been transformed into an arts hub. It houses administrative offices, artists’ studios and a performance space.  Read More.