A legal fight over sunlight, skyline views, and one of Chicago’s richest art patrons is now playing out in one of the largest court systems in the United States.
Fred Eychaner, the billionaire philanthropist and founder of the private exhibition space Wrightwood 659, is facing a lawsuit from a Lincoln Park condo owner who says the museum’s planned expansion will loom over her home and destroy the light and views she spent years renovating around.
Lisa Berron, who has lived in the building for more than two decades, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court in March after learning that the expansion would rise above her roofline and sit just feet from her windows. According to the complaint, Eychaner’s team has already bought two of the three units in her building as part of a broader push to expand the footprint of Wrightwood 659, the private museum Eychaner operates in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
“It’s so upsetting,” Berron told WGN. “Like when they told me what they were going to put next door, I was just, like, crushed.”
The dispute has turned into a very local battle over what happens when immense wealth and cultural ambition collide with dense city living. Wrightwood 659, a non-collecting museum housed in a converted 1920s building redesigned with contributions from Japanese architect Tadao Ando, has become one of Chicago’s more respected private art spaces, known for its tightly curated exhibitions and minimalist architecture.
The proposed expansion has angered Berron, who says she would never have poured money into renovating her top-floor condo had she known a taller structure would eventually rise beside it. According to court filings and local news outlets, the planned addition would come within arm’s reach of her unit and potentially wall off natural light and skyline views in Berron’s recently renovated apartment.
Eychaner argues that the project complies fully with existing zoning and does not require special approval from the local alderman’s office. In a statement to WGN, representatives for Eychaner said they sympathize with Berron’s frustration about living beside a construction site, but claim she rejected repeated attempts to settle the dispute.
The filings also reveal just how far apart the two sides are. Eychaner’s team claims Berron demanded nearly $4 million for her condo, which they say was appraised closer to $1.2 million.
The case has also drawn political scrutiny. A review of Illinois campaign finance records found Eychaner and affiliated companies donated more than $72,000 to Alderman Timmy Knudsen’s campaign fund in recent years, though Eychaner’s attorney’s say the project required “zero approvals” from the alderman’s office because it fits within existing zoning rules.
For now, the lawsuit remains pending in Cook County court.
