Be The Culture. Be Fulton Market.

At Torque, we are focused on positioning property brands and helping them emerge. Our passion is in creating an authentic expression of an owner’s vision, the local culture and of the feeling of the property itself.

When Torque started working with the Stream leasing team on 800 Fulton’s brand and marketing program, we discovered in our brand workshops that perhaps the biggest promise the property could make was that of being “of” the neighborhood. Tenancy at 800 Fulton meant being part of the local transformative culture — part of a dynamic neighborhood that is changing rapidly. This was the authentic and compelling brand message we needed to bring to life.

Fulton Market has quickly become the progressive home for dynamically evolving companies seeking to be a part of the fastest growing neighborhood in Chicago. It is an artistic mecca with murals everywhere and a true culinary destination. Some of the most prestigious corporate headquarters and technology companies such as Google, McDonald's, Kimberly-Clark, Oreo maker Mondelēz, Dyson, and Calamos Investments were quick to move in, looking to redefine themselves completely and recruit a younger, more creative staff. Fulton Market is a locale that signifies growth, transformation, fresh thinking, brilliant minds and emerging talent. Moving here means that your company has arrived at the next level of business change and evolution.

After brainstorming and aligning with all invested parties, we marketed 800 Fulton with the bold statement pulled from a meeting with the leasing team — BE FULTON MARKET. It’s a promise stating that moving here means sparking with the vibrant local culture and emerging a whole new company. 

To further define this powerful promise of becoming a part of the authentic local experience, Torque worked with Thor Equities to find unique and compelling ways to bring that culture inside the property. This included bringing art inside. We saw an opportunity for 800 Fulton to become a gallery itself, with both permanent and rotating art that is current and as stimulating and ever-changing as the street art of the neighborhood. We realized it would not be enough to hang a mobile in the entry, or adorn a big wall with a mural, or install a single large art piece on the lobby wall. We brought in our strategic partner, Ava Grey, the design and production house that serves as a homebase for street artist Czr Prz, to help curate a permanent collection as well as a series of rotating gallery displays. These installations are designed to be ever-fresh, catalyzing events, open houses, news on social media and media coverage, depending on the awareness of the artist’s work and reputation. 

The permanent art program consists of six large scale murals/installations throughout the building executed by a range of established and on-the-rise artists. Multiple gallery spaces with regularly planned shows are included in the extensive program. The first expression of this commitment to local art culture was a full length mural along the construction barricades during construction, which became emblematic of the creative nature of the building. This mural, the new art plans, and imagery quickly gained awareness on social media, PR and other forms of marketing outreach, including an imaginative thank-you gift of a mural-wrapped wood box housing an exquisite bottle of bourbon.

Follow the ongoing story as Torque shares the art as it is created, installed and exhibited.