Ruth Page Center for the Arts may be facing considerable damage to its 100-year-old building following heavy thunderstorms on Monday.
The Near North Side dance organization, located at 1016 N. Dearborn St., experienced flooding in lower-level areas of its venue, including dance studios, a women’s restroom, costume storage, utility closets and sewing rooms. While waiting on a full assessment of repairs from the insurance company, the nonprofit is accepting donations on its websites to help purchase equipment, including extra wet/dry vacuum cleaners and industrial fans.
Classes were canceled yesterday, but they have since resumed. However, the organization is working out logistics for its upcoming events, which include a performance by Summer Dance Bootcamp students on Friday and a Fall Open House on Sunday.
Two rounds of heavy storms rolled through the Chicago area Monday afternoon and evening. They downed trees, delayed flights and left more than 300,000 ComEd customers without electricity. Officials at Morton Arboretum were among those that said their grounds remained closed Wednesday for cleanup.
Leaders at Ruth Page Center say flooding is an ongoing issue, and the setback comes at a time of economic strain for the Chicago arts sector. And the dance community relies on the center, one of few small dance venues in the city since the nearly 50-year-old Links Hall closed in 2025.
“It is really detrimental to us when something like that happens,” said Clintina Taylor, director of operations at Ruth Page Center. “Anytime it’s a torrential downpour, [water] is getting into our building and there’s really no way for us to stop that. I was going to complain to the city, but it’s almost like, ‘Well, who am I going to complain to?’”
When the storms hit on Monday, the staff re-routed students to a higher floor and began bailing out the water. A video on the center’s Instagram page shows water pouring into the facility.
“Everybody sprung into action, finding everything that could possibly hold water,” Taylor said. “Buckets, garbage cans, baskets — really whatever we could find. Our lost and found [container] became a receptacle to hold water.”
The organization’s historical costumes were not damaged, but leotards, tights and shoes, including some offered to families who can’t afford them, will need to be replaced. Some walls will also need to be repaired after tiles were blown off by the water. Taylor said donations of $5,000 would help the staff restore inventory and buy the vacuums and fans.
Despite the flooding, Taylor said Ruth Page Center is determined to host the students’ Summer Dance Bootcamp performance and the ice cream social that follows the show.
“Come hell or high water — literally,” she said. “They’ve worked hard all week and they really look forward to this celebration. So we will figure it out, even if we have to use our hallway.”
In addition to training students, the Ruth Page Center provides office, rehearsal and performance space for many arts groups in Chicago. Like other organizations, it is facing increasingly limited funding options. Taylor said she also has noticed a shift in the sector, with grantmakers focusing on awarding individual artists instead of organizations.
“Everyone is vying for the same pot of money,” she said.
But Taylor praised the camaraderie within the dance community during tough times.
“A lot of people don’t think that dance is saving anyone’s life, but people come here for respite,” she said. “We work twice as hard just to make sure that we are here for all of our our people, specifically the kids.”