In March, 2020, one of our Port of Entry dreams came true: the Reva and David Logan Foundation purchased a vacant Albany Park commercial building for APTP to create Port of Entry’s immersive world.

Thanks to the Logan Foundation’s vision and generosity, Port of Entry will come alive in a three-story building at Montrose and Central Park. Constructed in 1929 as Fernstrom Fireproof Storage, the building’s 12,000 square feet are now being shaped by the hands and imaginations of APTP’s artists and architects, carpenters and craftspeople into an immersive theatrical world of living rooms, hallways, bedrooms, courtyards and stairwells.

Behind the building’s art deco facade, APTP’s teen artists will bear witness to the lived experiences of their community — immigrants from all parts of the world — at dining tables, in secret bedroom sanctuaries, on back porches, in quiet corners and lively kitchens. For APTP Co-Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez, finding a home for Port of Entry in Albany Park has special meaning:

“As someone who grew up in Albany Park from an immigrant family, it’s meaningful to see a building in our own community transformed into a space dedicated to telling the stories of people who look like me and who have stories like my parents and my community. Thanks to the Logan Foundation and to the artists creating Port of Entry, you don’t have to go downtown or outside our community to hear and honor the stories of our community.”