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October 22, 2018 12:11 PM

'Matrix' �lmmakers listing Chicago studio buildingThe Wachowskis, makers of the quadruple Oscar-winning 1999 science �ction movie and itssequels, have been based in the Ravenswood Avenue building since about 2007.

DENNIS RODKIN

VHT Studios

A "squiddy" prop from "The Matrix" sits above the stairs to the Kinowerks studio's 36-person theater. 

The Wachowskis, makers of the quadruple Oscar-winning 1999 science �ction movie and itssequels, have been based in the Ravenswood Avenue building since about 2007.

The family that made the three "The Matrix" movies and several others, including "V forVendetta" and "Jupiter Ascending," is closing the Ravenswood Avenue o�ce they haveoperated out of for more than a decade.

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The asking price is just under $5 million for the 21,500-square-foot building. That's "waybelow" what the family invested in the purchase and subsequent renovation, said KarinWachowski, an executive in the family �rm, Kinowerks. 

The facility has been Lilly and Lana Wachowski's base while making the movies "SpeedRacer" (2008), "Cloud Atlas" (2012) and "Jupiter Ascending" (2015) and the Net�ix series"Sense 8" (2015 through 2018). Filming itself generally is in Berlin, she said, but because theproductions rely heavily on visual effects, "a lot of what you see (on screen) happened here"in the building.

The low-slung brick-and-limestone industrial building, which will be listed next week,represented by Brad Lippitz of Compass, has many green features, including solar panels anda planted green roof, countertops and �ooring made of recycled materials, extensive use ofskylights and a plug-in station for electric cars. 

The interior includes conference rooms, workspace for about 45 people, a 36-person theater,a half-court indoor basketball gym, an employee kitchen set up for catering large events, amassage room and a street-facing loading dock. 

In the main hallway's display cases, made of recycled plastic, stand props from several of theWachowskis' productions and the four Oscars that the �rst "The Matrix" movie won in 2000. 

In a statement, Lana Wachowski said, "Lilly and I have always tried to build family whereverwe worked, and for years this building has been that family's home." 

In about 2007, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, siblings and Chicago natives, converted the westAndersonville building into a facility for writing and pre- and post-production work, said KarinWachowski, who is Lana's wife. (The public-records site showing what they paid for theproperty is not functioning.) 

Working with architect William Ketcham, a principal in the Chicago o�ce of Stantec, formerlyknown as VOA, Lana and Lilly Wachowski "wanted the building to be as green as they couldmake it," said Dave Walsh, the building manager. That included installing an advanced waterreuse and �ltration system, skylights that run the length of the building and a pneumaticelevator. 

"This has been a dream space for us," said Karin Wachowski. With the end of production on"Sense 8" and no new productions scheduled, the family decided to close the facility, shesaid. 

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While movie props that are now in the space, including a giant "squiddy," or sentinel, from"The Matrix" that sits over the hallway, do not transfer to a new owner, a few references to theWachowskis' best-known �lm are built into the �nishes. The "dripping code," or strands ofnumbers, that roll down the movie screen to represent the virtual-reality environment of "TheMatrix," was the model for the dot pattern on custom-built light �xtures in the conferenceroom and in the wall panels of the basketball court, Karin Wachowski said. 

The studio has operated quietly in Chicago—a sign outside identi�es it only as Kinowerks—but several big-name performers have passed through the building because of Wachowskiproductions. Among them are Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, KevinBacon, Laverne Cox and Sam Smith, according to a list Kinowerks prepared for Crain's.

VHT Studios

The o�ce building is unobtrusive on a stretch of Ravenswood Avenue near Rosehill Cemetery. 

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VHT Studios

Original bow trusses and new skylights hang over the main hall, where the �ooring, countertops, display cases and wall panels are all made ofrecycled materials. 

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VHT Studios

The staff kitchen is at left and the pneumatic-tube elevator to the roof is at right.

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VHT Studios

In the basketball gym, the dotted pattern on the upper parts of the walls is a tribute to the 'dripping code" seen in all three "Matrix" movies. 

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