CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Tom Skinner Ensemble was rehearsing Wednesday ahead of a performance later this week at Thalia Hall.

They were practicing in the auditorium of Land School, the latest achievement from world-renowned artist Theaster Gates.

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"I wanted to create a space that was first for experimentation of all kinds," Gates said.

The Land School is based in the former St. Laurence Elementary School at 72nd Street and Dorchester Avenue in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.

The building was shuttered in 2002, and faced demolition.

Gates, formally trained in urban planning, had, for the past 20 years, acquired properties in the area through his Rebuild Foundation, bringing them back to life as places artists can live and create.

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