Congratulations, you are getting married! Whether you have been looking forward to this moment for a long time or have never thought about a fairytale wedding: you want to make it the most memorable wedding party. Where the proposal is often a moment between the future couple, the wedding itself is a day that is celebrated with family and friends. No matter how big or small your wedding is going to be a number of things are absolutely essential. One of them is the wedding venue.
When you are planning to get married in Chicago The Zephyr is highly recommended. It’s a Historic timber loft event space offering over 6,500 square feet of exposed brick, hardwood floors, and skylights on Michigan Avenue. Their venue is situated right on Michigan Avenue one block west of McCormick Place. Read the interview to find out more!
How did you come up with the idea for your business?
This idea was birthed out of a need for finding a fun and flexible event venue centrally located to downtown Chicago. A group of long-time friends that had worked in the events industry and real estate came together to find the perfect space located just a couple minutes from downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue in the historic Motor Row area.
What is the history of the building and how did you came up with the name?
Chicago’s Motor Row was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 2002. The Motor Row District has 55 buildings that have been given landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. This group of commercial buildings on Chicago’s Near South Side is considered to be the largest, intact early “automobile row” in the US.
Auto rows developed in numerous cities shortly after 1900 as car companies sought to create districts where the sale and repair of cars could become an easy urban shopping experience. At its peak, as many as 116 different makes of automobiles were being sold on Motor Row. Some are familiar today, including Ford, Buick, Fiat, and Cadillac, while others are better known to historians and old-car buffs, including Hudson, Locomobile, Marmon, and Pierce-Arrow. One of the first American cars was sold in our venue by the Haynes-Apperson Company. As their company was declining, Lincoln was on the rise, thanks to funding from Ford Motor Company and the leadership of Edsel Ford. Eventually, Lincoln replaced Haynes in this building and it was around this time that Lincoln launched the Zephyr, a shining example of streamline design. This car inspired the birth of The Zephyr, a premier industrial-chic event space located in Chicago’s South Loop.
Today, Motor Row is in a fast-growing area of Chicago and some of its historic buildings have been replaced by high rises. Fortunately, many of the older structures, including this building, have been restored to their former splendor.
We offer a carefully curated wedding venue offering everything a newly engaged couple will need to walk in and host their wedding.
Where can our readers find you online?
We can be found at www.zephyrchicago.com or on Instagram at @thezephyrchicago.
Any advice for someone considering to have a wedding business?
Our advice for starting a wedding business is doing your research. Make sure this is really what you want to do and love. Your passion will clearly shine and the clients will follow.
