As summer winds down, Camp Chi is looking back on its first season with a new dining hall and commercial kitchen. The completed facility gave campers and staff an expanded, modern space for daily meals and activities at the camp’s Lake Delton, Wisconsin location.
Operated by the Jewish United Fund/JCC Chicago, Camp Chi has provided overnight camp experiences for Jewish children and teens from across the Midwest for more than a century. Its programs center on community, personal growth and Jewish identity, with the Lake Delton campus welcoming hundreds of campers each summer.
Greenfire managed construction of the new 15,700 SF dining and kitchen facility, replacing aging spaces that no longer met the camp’s operational needs. The project includes approximately 9,500 SF of dining space, a 6,000 SF commercial kitchen and a new concrete patio. The upgraded building provides additional capacity, improves meal preparation and service, and creates a more flexible gathering place for the Camp Chi community.
Greenfire worked closely with JCC Chicago, Amstadter Architects, MSA and Moshe Calamaro & Associates throughout preconstruction and construction. Early planning aligned the project’s design, budget and schedule while addressing long-lead materials, commercial kitchen systems and work on an active, seasonal camp.
Construction continued through Wisconsin’s winter, requiring careful coordination of structural work, concrete placement, temporary heat and building enclosure. Greenfire also coordinated the specialized equipment and building systems needed to support a high-volume commercial kitchen. Careful sequencing allowed the facility to be completed in time for the upcoming camp season.
From cultural and recreational facilities to hospitality and commercial kitchens, Greenfire brings proven construction management to project types with specialized operational needs. At Camp Chi, that experience helped deliver a central gathering space built to serve campers, staff and future generations each summer.
