Lincoln Park’s Theatre on the Lake formally reopens

Last week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined 43rd Alderman Michele Smith and other elected representatives to kick off the grand reopening of Lincoln Park’s Theatre on the Lake. The event, which featured live performances from local dance and acrobatic groups, marked the formal conclusion of the site’s renovation and rebirth as a new production space and event venue.

Key features of the reimagined Theatre on the Lake include a renovated theater space which seats 330, a restaurant with a full bar, an outdoor patio, and two private event spaces. According to the city, the overhauled Theatre on the Lake can simultaneously host performances and events for up to 1,500 attendees.

Originally constructed in 1920 as an isolation ward for ill infants and children, the building later went on to serve as a USO Center, the city details. However, it has functioned as an event space and theater for the last 65 years. The $6 million renovation of the lakefront performance space came at the heels of the massive $31.5 million Fullerton revetment project which stabilized the crumbling shoreline infrastructure just north of the Fullerton Avenue Beach and reclaimed 5.8 acres of land for public park space.

While the Theatre on the Lake was always a unique lakefront attraction, the remodeled and reimagined space will no doubt serve as a popular gathering spot and event space during the warmer months.

• Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Park District Reopen Theater on the Lake as a Year-Round Production and Event Space [City of Chicago]
• Theater on the Lake renovation set to begin [Curbed Chicago]
• Theater on the Lake now undergoing $6 million renovation [Curbed Chicago]