Lex

I bought an old chandelier from a resale store. The power chord was cut short, as was the chain, and the ground wire was just wrapped around the top of the chain.

I'm painting the thing and want to swap out the gold chain/power chord with a white set. I get the part about matching neutral wires, etc., but I'm not sure what to do with this short ground wire.

I'm putting it in a built-out industrial space. We have really high ceilings (20 ft?), with the support structures all exposed. I want to plug the power chord into an outlet up near the ceiling and let the fixture hang 10 ft or so. It's not going into a ceiling with a joist support and a crown piece, or anything like what I keep seeing on DIY websites.

So what do I do with this ground wire? Do I really need it? Do I need to extend it somehow and attach it to something near the ceiling? If so, what?

I'm looking for info on a building in Chicago that used to be a Messianic Temple, but is currently empty and condemned by the city. The address may be 140 Lincoln (don't know if it's N, S, E, W), but I can't confirm that. Any info would be greatly appreciated!