Saying goodbye to 2019 and hello to CFA’s new vault

It has been fifteen years since CFA acquired and moved the Chicago Public Library film collection to our current space at 329 W. 18th Street. Since then, we’ve taken in 154 additional collections (over 27,000 items) and have run out of space in the vault.

Much of 2019 was spent preparing a significantly larger space with a dedicated enhanced cooling system and mobile compact shelving which will more than double our storage capacity for these films and for future collections. The final installations are happening now! The room is chilled and heavy-duty steel shelving will soon ride on top of rolling carriages that glide on top of newly-installed steel rails. In early 2020, thousands of films will be carefully transferred from CFA’s original vault to their new safehouse. This space and new equipment will allow for the storage of present and future Midwestern films in a climate-controlled environment for decades to come!

Countless thanks to each of our friends at the DEW Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities and the MacArthur Foundation for making this new vault a reality!