The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park will undergo a $75 million, multi-year transformation of its 36-acre music campus over the course of the next several years, leading up to the outdoor venue’s 125th anniversary in 2029, it was announced Thursday.
This marks the first such all-encompassing renovation since the iconic park, with its Prairie School architecture and sprawling lawn/picnic areas, opened in 1904 as a summertime “high-end” music-venue escape from the congestion of Chicago at the turn of the century.
Phase one of the project, already underway, includes a complete renovation of the 3,500-seat pavilion. While its signature roof will remain, a new stage, seating, lighting and state-of-the-art acoustics system are planned. Back-stage areas/amenities will also be renovated and updated. The new pavilion, designed by Chicago-based Lohan Architecture (which has designed the entire project) is set for completion in 2026.
Funding for the project will come from a “Setting the Stages” campaign, which has already received a $10 million gift from the Hunter Family Foundation for what will be the new Hunter Pavilion, and a $21 million donation from the Negaunee Foundation for the new Negaunee Foundation Artist Center backstage/artists’ area.
The remaining on-site venues — the Sandra K. Crown Theater, the Martin Theatre, Bennett Gordon Hall, and the outdoor Carousel will undergo their own renovations in successive years.
The park hosts more than 400,000 fans each year attending more than 100 concerts celebrating all genres of music, from classical and jazz to pop and country. Ravinia has long-been the official “summer home” of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well. This year’s season runs June 1- August. 6.
