The renovation of Chicago’s Ramova Theater, a 36,000-sf building in the Bridgeport Neighborhood, has begun. The project includes restoring the theater and building out adjacent space for a new brewery and restaurant at 3510-3520 S. Halsted. The building was originally built in 1929 and has been vacant since 1985.
Upon completion, the renovated Ramova Theater will include a 1,600-seat auditorium at ground level and a separate balcony-level theater that can accommodate 200 people. The venue will be able to host concerts and events for local schools and community groups.
Adjacent to the theater, a separate entrance will lead patrons to a new 4,000-sf brewery and tap room fronting Halsted Street. Brewery operations will extend into the basement that will be within view of the dining and bar area. A 200-person space on the second floor above the brewery and taproom will be able to host private events and intimate musical performances. Additionally, the project will feature the revived 800-sf, 30-seat Ramova Grill restaurant.
The project will also return the lobby and auditorium to its original Spanish courtyard style and restore the existing marquis, the theater’s plaster ceiling and other decorative plaster elements, the ticket booth, and the interior’s faux-marble and gilded plasterwork. The historic brick and terracotta facade along the east face of the building that houses the brewery and restaurant will also be restored.
“We will be restoring numerous architectural details in adherence to National Landmark restoration guidelines,” Andy Totten, McHugh Construction Vice President and Project Executive said, in a release. “Working closely with Baum Revision and the design team’s historic preservation specialists, we will revive the historic features of the building while reinforcing the structure’s infrastructure and bringing the building up to code.”
O’Riley Office is designing the project with McHugh Construction as the general contractor. The restoration project is slated for completion in late 2022.
Related Stories
Libraries | Oct 30, 2024
Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library
DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 22, 2024
Adaptive reuse project transforms 1840s-era mill building into rental housing
A recently opened multifamily property in Lawrence, Mass., is an adaptive reuse of an 1840s-era mill building. Stone Mill Lofts is one of the first all-electric mixed-income multifamily properties in Massachusetts. The all-electric building meets ambitious modern energy codes and stringent National Park Service historic preservation guidelines.
Brick and Masonry | Oct 7, 2024
A journey through masonry reclad litigation
This blog post by Walter P Moore's Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE, and Bob Hancock, MBA, JD, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, explains the importance of documentation, correspondence between parties, and supporting the claims for a Plaintiff-party, while facilitating continuous use of the facility, on construction litigation projects.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 12, 2024
White paper on office-to-residential conversions released by IAPMO
IAPMO has published a new white paper titled “Adaptive Reuse: Converting Offices to Multi-Residential Family,” a comprehensive analysis of addressing housing shortages through the conversion of office spaces into residential units.
Codes and Standards | Sep 3, 2024
Atlanta aims to crack down on blighted properties with new tax
A new Atlanta law is intended to crack down on absentee landlords including commercial property owners and clean up neglected properties. The “Blight Tax” allows city officials to put levies on blighted property owners up to 25 times higher than current millage rates.
Resiliency | Sep 3, 2024
Phius introduces retrofit standard for more resilient buildings
Phius recently released, REVIVE 2024, a retrofit standard for more resilient buildings. The standard focuses on resilience against grid outages by ensuring structures remain habitable for at least a week during extreme weather events.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 29, 2024
More than 1.2 billion sf of office space have strong potential for residential conversion
More than 1.2 billion sf of U.S. office space—14.8% of the nation’s total—have strong potential for conversion to residential use, according to real estate software and services firm Yardi. Yardi’s new Conversion Feasibility Index scores office buildings on their suitability for multifamily conversion.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 22, 2024
6 key fire and life safety considerations for office-to-residential conversions
Office-to-residential conversions may be fraught with fire and life safety challenges, from egress requirements to fire protection system gaps. Here are six important considerations to consider.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Aug 19, 2024
Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism
While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.
Sustainability | Aug 14, 2024
World’s first TRUE Zero Waste for Construction-certified public project delivered in Calif.
The Contra Costa County Administration Building in Martinez, Calif., is the world’s first public project to achieve the zero-waste-focused TRUE Gold certification for construction. The TRUE Certification for Construction program, administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), recognizes projects that achieve exceptional levels of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
