The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

situated in the heart of chicago's loop, the school of the art institute of chicago is one of the country's most prestigious independent schools of art and design.  it is associated with the museum of the same name.  the school offers more than three thousand students undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates in a wide range of arts including architecture, fashion design, film-making, photography, performance, painting and drawing, visual and critical studies, and historic preservation.  it was originally founded in 1866 as the chicago academy of design. 

the school of the art institute of chicago has classroom buildings at 112 south michigan avenue, 37 south wabash avenue, and 280 south columbus drive.  it also offers student housing in historic steel frame buildings at 7 west madison and 162 north state street.  in other words, students of the art institute can typically be found in the loop, which is the scene of, among many other things, chicago's central business district.

until recently the loop consisted almost exclusively of office buildings, but the state street revival is now in full swing, and millennium park, particularly in the summer, is drawing a sea of humanity for recreation, dining, and entertainment.  new construction condominium towers now grace the skyline along michigan avenue, and condominium conversions deeper inside the loop have attracted a growing number of residents to the heart of the city's commercial center.  loop residents enjoy close proximity to grant park, lake michigan, soldier field, museum campus, the magnificent mile, and navy pier.  new construction condominiums in the loop are available for rent, as are apartments in traditional apartment buildings.  the location, the amenities, and the views just can't be topped.