Twelve murals depicting classic Chicago and South Side scenes are quickly appearing under the hand of artist David Banegas, commissioned to add his original artwork to the Karis Cold Stockyards warehouse at 3815 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago.
The warehouse, a first-of-its-kind facility within the City of Chicago, will soon offer massive storage for cold and frozen food in its nearly 100,000 square foot insulated building alongside docks, stalls and parking for autos and trucks.
Executives, officials and contractors break ground on October 18, 2024, at the Karis Cold Stockyards site.Karis Cold's facility is significantly upgraded from traditional cold storage warehouses, "like comparing the foam coolers of the 80s to the Yeti coolers of today," said Ken Verne, vice president of assets at Karis Cold. He joined executives, contractors and officials at the facility's groundbreaking on October 18, 2024.
Central Manufacturing District
The warehouse replaces the long-abandoned and derelict former Continental Can Company building at the site, one of the businesses of the historic Original East District of the Central Manufacturing District.
"We couldn't be happier to have that old eyesore down," 11th Ward Alderwoman Nicole Lee said at the groundbreaking.
Continental Can Company
An illustration from the Karis Cold Stockyards brochure displays the site's layout.Banegas said he worked with Karis executives and through a City of Chicago approval process for his mural designs, which depict Chicago sites like the Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago and the White Sox scoreboard.
A depiction of the brick tower of the Continental Can Company building occupies the exact spot of the former structure. "Paying homage to that was a specific request," Verne said.
Old Stomping Grounds
Banegas, who was born in Bolivia and came to Illinois as a teenage exchange student, said "it's close to me, this project."
"The first state I came to was Illinois," he said. "The first city I landed in was Chicago."
The murals represent "my old stomping grounds," Banegas said.
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Wall Prep
The hardest part of the mural installation is sketching the designs on the large structure, Banegas said, as it's not possible to project outlines for guidance. The paint is the highest quality available for high-traffic, outdoor use, he said.
Verne said that a challenge for the murals installation was preparing the building's special cladding — part of its high-efficiency insulation system — to be able to hold paint well.
Workers fill an underground chamber during groundbreaking on October 18, 2024, at the Karis Cold Stockyards site."They spent a lot of money preparing the wall," Banegas said.
Hard Dirt
The murals are on-target to be completed by next week, Banegas said, hopefully by his birthday on July 4.
Verne said the entire facility is on track to be completed by mid-August 2025. "Refrigeration equipment is being installed as we speak," he said.
"It's been the dirt that's been harder than anything," Verne said, noting unrecorded underground structures uncovered during construction. These then require additional inspections before work can continue.
Mysteries Underground
"There were even more mysteries underground than anything we expected," he said.
Verne said that Karis has been speaking to prospective tenants, and "a couple groups are interested in buying. We're navigating as we go."
At the groundbreaking, Karis owner and Principal Jake Finley called the warehouse "a critical piece of the supply chain."
Banegas said he planned to "put a little bit of my flair" into the final round of painting on the murals before completing them and returning to his Miami home to continue his work with womens and childrens charities.
Ed. Note: Karis Cold is a Sponsor of the McKinley Park News. For information about our operations and policies, see our About Us page and the Letter from the Editor "Building a Trustworthy News Business."
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