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Ravinia will kick off $38 million more in renovations, this time to 122-year-old Martin Theatre

suntimes.com · 2h · first reportShare

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 Theatre sits just past the park’s main gate. This photo is from when the music hall was renamed the Murray Theatre, from 1960 to 1995. Courtesy of Ravinia Festival “The Martin Theater has always been the soul or the hear