Gallery 1028

My husband and I recently got married at Gallery 1028, and were blown away by the experience from start to finish. We found Gallery 1028 early on in our venue search, toured the facility and knew we had to have our wedding there. The vintage wood floors, exposed brick and wood vaulted ceilings made the space unique and very ‘Chicago’. It’s on Goose Island and in a very industrial part of town which we LOVED. It felt very true to Chicago and the type of wedding we wanted. It was the only place we visited but we knew it was where we would have our wedding reception. Not only is the space gorgeous but the staff are even better (if possible). Jeffrey was extremely friendly from day 1 and prompt with emails and gave great advice on décor and styling. Todd Klein, the Catering Director from Calihan was also incredible to work with. He was prompt with all emails getting back to me same day with most emails, and was patient throughout the planning process from start to finish. He met with us several times to help put our minds at ease and truly went above and beyond for us. The day of staff was just as great as Todd and Jeffrey. The wait staff was beyond attentive. Garrison made sure both of us ate and drank all evening, making us a priority above all guest which was an extra special touch that we both noticed. If you want to wow your guests with an amazing venue, food and give them world class service, book Gallery 1028.

My husband and I just got married at Gallery 1028 on Saturday, and we can’t say enough amazing things about the venue and people! G1028 was the second stop on our venue tour, and it was love at first sight! It was exactly what we were looking for: beautiful, rustic, charismatic, whimsical, and romantic. We loved the wood and the skylights, as well as the brick wall in the reception room. We really liked that it didn’t have that banquet feel. Jeffrey was very friendly and easy to work with, always replying to my (many!) emails and questions. The venue is owned by Calihan Catering, who also catered the wedding. Todd from Calihan was beyond amazing! I am really going to miss working with these lovely individuals. We felt as though they were all truly excited for us and made us and our guests feel very special. Thank you Gallery 1028, for being such an amazing part of our special day! ~Carrie and Matt Nesta

My husband and I chose this venue for our January 30^th wedding because we loved the raw space, the brick walls, the unique floor and just the space in general for a winter wedding. We had Studio AG provide the décor and we were so happy with the finished product! Everything was beautiful, the food was great and we got tons of compliments! Thank you so much to Jeffery, Todd, and the rest of the staff for helping plan everything and keeping the night running seamlessly.

Gallery 1028 was the first space we visited in our journey to find our wedding reception venue and it was love at first sight. We visited a few other places later but couldn’t get Gallery out of our minds. We just had our wedding reception there last weekend and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue. We wanted something simple, modern yet rustic. The space has great charm and doesn’t need a lot of décor to stand out. We added tons of candles, some strings of lights, simple flowers, touches of gold, grays and whites and our wedding turned out exactly how we imagined it. We received countless compliments on the space, the gorgeous bar and even the large bathrooms (remodeled recently, they are beautiful!). There was also ample parking. Gallery works exclusively with Calihan Catering, which is the best wedding food I have ever had and a fantastic vendor to work with. They are perfect if you are food-​lovers like we are. The communication with both Gallery and Calihan was outstanding and they were incredibly accommodating. Gallery was the perfect space for us and I am forever thankful that we found it!

Went to a wedding at this location and enjoyed the atmosphere of the venue.
I’t defiantly not your traditional banquet hall type of situation. Looks like it would be great for any type of gathering.

This review is for Gallery 1028 and Calihan Catering (as the caterer owns the venue). My husband and I booked Gallery 1028 about a year and a half before our wedding this past May. Up until 18 days before the wedding the venue and the caterer were fantastic. We were extremely impressed by the venue — we loved the feel of a loft space and even had a friend who had gotten married there the year before. However, 18 days before our wedding Calihan called us to let us know that we would not be able to have our wedding at Gallery 1028 due to a delay in construction. While I was shocked that they waited that long to let us know that we needed to find a new venue, we were impressed by their professionalism as they helped us find a new venue and paid all the associated charges. Based on those interactions we would have said that we recommend them without a doubt. However, when we found out the weather for the wedding was going to be cold and rainy we emailed Calihan to discuss a contingency plan as our cocktail hour was now supposed to be outside (not the case at Gallery 1028). The response was that they would recommend heaters totaling $ 1000 but they were not willing to compensate us for the cost despite the fact that they agreed to pay for all necessary charges associated with the change in venue. At our rehearsal the night before the wedding they actually tried to get us to change all of our floor plans for the wedding the last minute. It was extremely unprofessional and downright stressful. We went to our rehearsal dinner worried and upset and that evening decided we would pay for two of the four heaters. We emailed Calihan to ask for them to pay for the remaining two heaters and the following morning (the day of the wedding) heard that they would. However, the heaters never showed up. The wedding was wonderful regardless, but after all of that I would hesitate before booking at Gallery 1028.

I’ve been a wedding photographer for the past 10 years so I’ve seen almost all of the venues in the Chicago area. When I saw Gallery 1028 I knew it was where I wanted to have my wedding. The space is large enough to have the ceremony and reception, yet still provide a comfortable space for your guests to go into during cocktail hour when the main room is flipped. We had about 128 guests and it was the perfect fit. We definitely could have had more but filled the extra space in the back with a little lounge set up so our guests could sit and visit next to an electric fireplace we rented! We personally didn’t have any trouble with the bathrooms and found that it was enough for our guests and there wasn’t a line or anything of people waiting to use the restroom at any point during the night.
In addition to the amazing space, it came with an amazing staff. We always received a prompt reply whenever we emailed with questions, and on the day of everyone went above and beyond to make sure all our guests were taken care of. I can’t recommend this venue more for someone who is looking for an awesome warehouse space at an affordable rate in the city!

I’m criminally late writing this review — six months after the wedding. Gallery 1028 was the first venue we saw when looking for our wedding and nothing else in the city that we looked at and could afford came close.
While the surrounding neighborhood may be a little off-​putting at first (warehouses), it is actually great for the event because there is tons of parking and is not hard to find by out-​of-​town guests.
We were looking to do a sort of upscale barn wedding and the Gallery 1028 space was perfect for that. The space is very flexible and can accommodate a pretty large number of guests (we had right around 100 with tons of room to spare). The bar/​reception area is really quite nice, and with a good décor company (we used Studio Ag, who were also good to work with and very familiar with the space) the space can turn into just what you want. The space has a few permanent fixtures (the bar, tables, a moveable dance floor) and a nice votive candle program, but they are completely open to working with other vendors.
The folks at Calihan Catering, who own the space, are the only catering vendor allowed in the space, but that’s not a bad thing because they have the kitchens right next door and their food is absolutely amazing. More about them in a separate review for Calihan, but rest assured that they are quite good. They are also flexible about a lot of things. The staff there are all friendly and professional and will walk you through everything, and even provided us a little extra coordination on the day of the event.
We really enjoyed working with Gallery 1028 for our wedding and think we got a lot of value for the price. The venue really made our wedding exactly what we wanted it to be. If we even need to throw another big party, they’ll be the first place we go to.

We had our wedding at Gallery 1028 on 12÷13÷14, and I’m thrilled to be writing this review only a couple days later.
Gallery 1028 was the very first venue we looked at, and we knew it was exactly what we wanted. It is an open lofty warehouse space with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and old wood floors – it is such a gorgeous space.
For our winter wedding, we brought in café lighting to be strung over the dance floor and then just TONS of candles. We wanted everything candlelit and warm and cozy. We brought in vintage furniture to create a little lounge area, and really… that’s all we needed. The space itself really doesn’t need much because it is already so impressive and unique.
Everyone loved the food and raved about how attentive and friendly the staff was. We couldn’t have had a better experience, and I never wanted the night to end.
I should mention that we had about 130 people at our wedding, and there are only three bathrooms which means there was typically a line. I don’t think this is a big deal since I wait in line for the bathroom at any busy bar or restaurant on the weekend, but worth a mention if you are going to have a much larger wedding.
Todd went above and beyond – he offered speedy email replies, recommendations, guidance, reassurance, and even helped us create a seasonal signature cocktail.
I loved that this venue was a little off the beaten path. We used luminaire bags to line the stairs and create a little path to the door so the entrance was easy to find. I disagree with people when they say it’s hard to catch a cab in that area – it’s easy to have someone call cabs ahead of time as the wedding nears the end, plus who doesn’t use Über or Lyft these days?
I highly recommend Gallery 1028, and I hope some of my newly engaged friends hold their weddings there so I can go back soon!

We had our wedding at Gallery 1028 in August 2014 and it was the PERFECT venue. Tons of natural light, spacious feel, and attentive and friendly staff. The planning process was SO fun and easy with Todd and Jeffery, and they made our big day feel so special and personal.
Our guests raved about the venue! The food was incredible too (Calihan Catering at Gallery 1028) — our guests kept telling us it was the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding! For our other vendors (floral/​event design, photographer, DJ, day-​of coordinator, etc.), we used vendors from Gallery 1028’s preferred vendor list, and they were awesome — worked great with Gallery 1028 and transformed the space into the perfect wedding venue.
I would highly recommend Gallery 1028 for a wedding in Chicago!

Cool space for private events! Dont let warehouse look from the outside deceive you! The place is very rustic and was perfect for the Balvenie Rare Crafts event I attended there. Glad I came to the event since everythings was well organized and it wasnt too packed where we actually had room to walk around.

I found most of the vendors for my May wedding online using Unilocal,wedding wire, the knot, etc. I scoured reviews and hoped the best! And with Todd, Jeffrey, and a Gallery 1028– that’s what I got. Gallery was the first place we saw on our search for a romantic, rustic venue and I fell in love. I’m so glad I did because it was a great and easy experience from start to finish. You primarily work with Calihan– their exclusive caterer (also owns the space and is located adjacent to Gallery). Don’t be put off by the fact they force you to use their caterer. You’ll feel lucky to have Calihan!
PROS:
–The food is delicious.
–Calihan is great to work with. You’ll enjoy wonderful service before, during, and after your event.
–The rental fee is low compared to other venues we saw.
–The layout is perfect for a ceremony on site.
–They are extremely easy to work with and flexible.
–It is a blank canvas that you can transform into the wedding or event you envision.
CONS:
–It definitely takes some décor to dress up the space.
–It gets hot with a lot of people filling the space. Tell them to keep that air on all day.
–It isn’t easy to get cabs/​Ubers. You feel like you have to provide transportation for your group.
–There is no view of the city, or anything. But it’s so beautiful inside you won’t notice.
I would do everything all over again at Gallery 1028!

This place looks unappealing from the outside, but is actually very nice and rustic-​looking on the inside. We just visited 1028 for a wedding and the space seemed to work out nicely. They utilized three rooms for the wedding – a guest book area when you first walk in, an area for cocktail hour mingling, and a space where the ceremony/​dinner/​dancing took place. It was big and you can do a lot with it.

We had the most spectacular experience at our February wedding at Gallery 1028. We knew we wanted a space that was unique and would create a warm and cozy dinner-​party atmosphere for our winter event. We got everything we hoped for and so much more.
We loved the opportunity to create exactly the mood we wanted through lighting (their existing lights turned way low and candles made for a beautiful amber glow — no need for additional lighting, as far as I was concerned), custom furniture (bar and lounge) and décor. Using a design company definitely makes coordinating all of these details a lot easier (call Revel!).
Lee was an incredibly knowledgeable resource and a real pleasure to work with. She worked directly with our coordinator and other vendors to ensure that the entire thing went off without a hitch so we didn’t have to worry about a thing. The serving staff was extremely professional and Garrison deserves an extra special thanks for being so incredibly attentive and helpful to us as the bride and groom. He provided the unexpectedly important service of making sure that we were sitting and eating at all the times we needed to be and as a result, we actually got to enjoy the fantastic meal that we’d spent so much time planning. (Thank you, Garrison!) The food from Calihan was delicious and we received so many compliments.
The tireless work of the team made for a night that was exactly what we’d pictured, which is truly the highest compliment.
This space is absolute magic.

I had been creepin’ on Gallery 1028 since before I was engaged and knew that when my now husband popped the question, this was going to be on the short list of venues we looked at for our Chicago wedding. When the time came, we visited and fell in love, hard. The pictures don’t do this place justice.
I’ll try and keep this review short and sweet. We had a 175(ish) person wedding and filled the space nicely– I’d imagine anything over 200 feels a bit crowded.
Pros:
–It’s a blank slate. You come in and transform the space into what you would like. For me and my husband, that was a candle-​filled, romantic gray, black, white and metallic soirée.
–In-​house catering with delicious food. A few months out, the catering department reaches out to you with a menu and you come in for a fun tasting and try EVERYTHING. The level of service at the tasting was top-​notch and set the bar for what to expect during our wedding. We weren’t disappointed.
–The level of service deserves its own point. The staff was consistently easy to work with, accommodating and rolled with every request or change we threw at them with a smile. In addition, on the day of our wedding, my husband and I were assigned our own staff person to accommodate our every request.
–3 beautiful rooms with different feels. The large room is very warm, with exposed brick and beams, while the entryway and bar area feel more modern and stark.
–When the sun goes down, the room absolutely glows. It’s gorgeous.
Cons:
–It’s a blank slate. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed imagining everything together in the space– because when you’re in the empty space it feels REALLY empty.
–The fact that there were only 3 bathrooms created lines once, right after dinner.
–The loading dock/​entryway has a rather gritty/​urban feel. While that has its own charm, it was a bit confusing for our older guests. I would also highly recommend covering the loading dock stairs with carpeting (an additional cost), so your ladies’ heels don’t get stuck in the grates.
In sum, I got to have my dream wedding marrying my dream man in this space and couldn’t have imagined a better experience working with Nicole, Lee and the rest of the staff.

*Note — I signed up for Unilocal solely to write this review, as Gallery 1028 impressed me that much. How you ask? See below…
(Background — using the venue to host our client’s fitness event here for approx 100 women)
Customer Service — Nicole and especially Nash were there every step of the way to help make our event a success. As someone who executes small and large scale events nationwide anually, I feel so many venues do what they have to in order to get by, but rarely go the extra mile for their clients. That is certainly not the case at Gallery 1028. Here is a short list of the ways they helped us out…
–Allowed huge vinyl graphics on their walls
–Allowed CHALK DRAWINGs on their brick
–Let us hang ropes throughout the venue from their beams
–Gave us a hose when needed to clean our 6′ tractor trailer tires (crazy but true!)
–Lent us a ladder
–Opened earlier and stayed later than needed. We did pay extra for this, but the fact they were so flexible was so appreciated.
–Nash brought in his own drill bits and drill to help mount a display rack we had
–Just by being friendly. It’s amazing how a genuine willingness to help can get you through hectic moments in an event. Gallery 1028 wasn’t just our venue contact, they were true partners in this event. They seemed to care about it just as much as we did!
Time after time, my colleagues and I looked at each other and kept saying, «If only all other places were like this.» Gallery 1028 is not only a beautiful venue, but the food was great as well. All catering is done in-​house by Calihan Catering.
It’s little wonder with the attentive service we received that the event was a (insert Borat voice) «Great success!»
Moral of the review — book your event here now, you will be very happy you did! :)
THANK YOU NASH, NICOLE, ROBERT, LEE and TEAM! We are very grateful for all that you did for us!
Love,
Mosaic XM Team (Kaitlin, Bobby, Alex, Matt and Julie)

A big space for gatherings.
The front of the space is on Hooker Street with a truck dock along the whole building. A small staircase is in the center of the dock with perpendicular parking spots along the dock on either side of the stairs.
Everything is level from that point on. You enter into a foyer that then opens into a small room for coats and a gift table.
The walls are white drywall with bare brick and wooden floors all over.
The next room is large enough for a ceremony of 150 or so.
Then you step into the great room that has decent natural light and very high ceilings. Immediately in front of you is the dancefloor area with the bar to the left.
Off to the right is the eating/​seating area with two or three rows of nice painted picnic tables for your entire party.
Fill it with catering, decorations, and music and people will just show up in suits and gowns ready to wish you well on your wedding day.
Serious piping and draping with proper uplighting can make this place spectacular.
The street outside is pretty quiet but you are still a cheap cab ride from downtown or the other night time hotspots.

For the capacity of people that they are able to pack-​in (hundreds of people) — they need more than two bathrooms. Each bathroom has a single toilet. If your event has hundreds of people at this location, be ready to see lines to the bathroom greater than 15 people.
Other than the lack of bathrooms, this event space is outstanding and recommended.

I came here recently for a wedding reception and had a lovely time. It’s essentially a warehouse space, so the entrance is literally a loading dock and the floors are old and wooden. The simplicity of the venue makes for a pretty classy vibe when you have nice décor. They had candles on a little ledge all around the dining area, which had a beautiful effect.
Before the dinner, there was a cocktail hour. By the time all of the guests showed up, it was quite crowded! They brought out some passed appetizers that were literally bite-​sized, which made them really easy to eat while standing. The appetizers and the dinner were both quite good, and I particularly loved the bite-​sized grilled cheese sandwiches they brought out later on in the night! Really the only downside to this place is the bathroom situation. There are only 3 bathrooms (individual unisex rooms, not stalls in a larger bathroom) and it was not nearly enough! I missed the majority of the toasts while waiting in line for the bathroom. Boo! Aside from the bathroom situation, I think this is a lovely place for a reception and a nice change of pace from a typical banquet hall.

Super easy to locate —
Cool layout
I came here for a fashion show on ³⁄₁₂ hosted by Crown Royal. I have seen the place in its raw form and the redesign for your event is super easy. I like that there is parking within walking distance. It’s not huge but it’s not THAT small either. I would like to go to another event here just to see how it’s transformed.