Ravinia Festival announced another series of renovations on Wednesday, this time to the Martin Theatre, the last original structure standing from when the 36-acre wooded park in Highland Park opened in 1904.
The Martin Theatre refresh will cost an estimated $38 million. The Northbrook-based Negaunee Foundation gifted Ravinia the funds to complete the modernization project.
The building will close down after English singer-songwriter Jacob Collier performs on Sept. 23, and the first phase of construction will begin on the Martin in October, according to a press release. Next summer, the renovations will pause for performances slated during the 2027 season, but work will resume shortly after it ends, then officially reopen to the public during the 2028 season.
“The Martin Theater has always been the soul or the heart of Ravinia,” said CEO Jeffrey P. Haydon. “It’s a very rare living example of a true Arts and Crafts theater.”
He’s referring to an architectural style made popular by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and other 19th- and 20th-century architects. The Martin Theater, with its stained glass windows and thoughtfully crafted wood details, is a prime example of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Notably, the historic structure’s stained glass windows inspired the design of the new acoustics shell that Ravinia opened this summer, the result of a $70 million round of renovations.
“We feel this is a really important project for us to preserve,” Haydon said. But a lot of basic infrastructure work needs to be completed. Ravinia is once again working with Lohan Architecture’s principal architect Michael Barnes and his team for the updates.
From rotting wooden beams to corroded electrical lines and rain damage, the Martin Theatre has been due for a restoration for some time, Haydon said. New light and sound systems will be installed, along with upgraded dressing rooms and better bathrooms.
That includes making it comfortable for music lovers of the 21st century, too.
“We’re all bigger than we were 120 years ago, and so the seats need to be a little bit further apart and we need to have more expanded bathrooms,” Haydon said. “Artists are just as important as the people in the audience.”
When the Martin Theater opened in 1904, it primarily served as a cinema and a vaudeville house — meaning the building housed a variety of performances and genres.
The desire to keep programming diversified at the Martin remains a goal of the updates, Haydon said.
“Our intention is to continue building on the classical music tradition with chamber music recitals and operas, but also add more versatility and functionality so that it can better also support jazz, folk, Americana, and some pop,” he said.
Haydon said that the new design for the theater will also support Ravinia’s youth music education programs, which have expanded over the last two decades. The multimillion-dollar gift from The Negaunee Foundation is the largest in Ravinia’s history, according to the press release.
The updates are part of a major revamp effort in preparation for the park’s 125th anniversary in 2029. Last year, Ravinia unveiled the first of its renovated venues, the Sandra K. Crown Theater inside The Audrey, ahead of its grand reopening this past July.
Concertgoers bought tickets to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform with pop artist Lizzo and classical pianist Yunchan Lim, and were among the first to experience the $70 million makeover of the park’s signature stage, the Hunter Pavilion. That update included a bigger stage, wider chairs and better acoustics — but fewer seats.
Future phases of renovations include updates to the Carousel Stage and Bennett Gordon Hall.