Northlight Theatre told the Tribune Tuesday that it plans finally to break ground on a new Evanston home in early March. The new theater building, which is projected to cost around $32 million, is expected to be ready in time for the 2026-27 season.
Northlight Theatre is thrilled to announce a $3 million leadership gift from past President/Chairperson of the theatre’s Board of Trustees Paul Finnegan for its new theatre building at 1012-16 Church Street in downtown Evanston.
City Council voted Monday to allocate $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to Northlight Theatre. The money will support the construction of a new performing arts center in downtown Evanston… With Monday’s allocation, the company is now looking to fundraise an additional $24 million to relocate to a new facility at 1012-18 Church St. in Evanston, as its current lease in Skokie will expire in 2024.
Theater stresses community involvement, local impact as it requests ARPA funds.
“The staff at Northlight is very invested in its community engagement programs,” said Christina Lepri, Northlight’s Director of Education & Community Engagement.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Hot on the heels of announcing the site and final plans for a new theater building earlier this month, Northlight Theatre on Wednesday announced it has been appropriated $927,500 from the state of Illinois to be used toward the construction of that building in downtown Evanston.
“Northlight is honored to be included as a line item appropriation in the new vertical Capital bill. This $927,500 appropriation confirms the economic impact that Northlight Theatre will bring to downtown Evanston,” said Northlight executive director Timothy J. Evans via statement. “Our legislators understand the impact of the arts in our community — not only economically but as a quality of life issue.”
From the Chicago Tribune:
“In a pivot away from developers and controversial Evanston high-rises, Northlight Theatre says it has made a fresh plan for a new home. Northlight said Friday that it has signed an option agreement to purchase (and then demolish) an existing Evanston building located at 1012-1016 Church Street in the near north suburb, and then build a new, low-rise theater that it says will be "transformational" for the 45-year-old non-profit theater.
…
“The suggestion of this building, Evans said, came from the restaurant owner Amy Morton, whose eatery The Barn would be adjacent to the new theater (and would continue to operate, likely to the benefit of both institutions). Jones said that if fundraising and construction went according to plan, the goal would be to open the new theater in the fall of 2021, coinciding with the end of the current lease at the North Shore Center.”
