WEST LOOP — Brooklyn Boulders is planning to open an indoor rock climbing facility in the West Loop, setting up a competition with another facility angling for a December opening in the South Loop.
But that doesn't concern Brooklyn Boulders co-founder Jesse Levin.
"The more gyms, the merrier," said Levin, co-founder and "Senior Cultural Chameleon" of the climbing group. "We’re more of a community and innovation center than anything else, so climbing is just one of the things we do."
The fall opening for the group's West Loop space, 100 S. Morgan St., will be the first Chicago location for Boulders, which was founded in New York in 2009 and recently opened a second location in Boston.
Its debut will nearly coincide with another indoor climbing facility, First Ascent, currently set for a December opening in the South Loop.
In addition to the climbing wall, Levin said the 23,000-square-foot facility will be a space for dinner parties, entrepreneurial sessions, yoga, community activities and more.
Brooklyn Boulders will also make a point to employ former veterans via another group Levin founded called Tactivate — which focuses on integrating former special operations veterans into the start-up community.
In New York, a yearly prepaid pass at the facility runs $849, with day passes available for $25 a pop.
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