Neighborhood News: Lincoln Park’s Theater on the Lake-from Sanitarium to Concert Venue

Located at Fullerton Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Theater on the Lake,2401 N. Lake Shore Drive, was designed in 1913 and constructed in 1920, the Prairie-Style structure has known many uses and many lives.

In the beginning…

According to the Chicago Park District website, the building began as the Chicago Daily News Fresh Air Fund Sanitarium. The breezes that blew through the un-windowed wooden shelters were believed to cure babies suffering from tuberculosis and other diseases. Constructed in brick with a steel arched pavilion with 250 basket baby cribs, nurseries and rooms for older children, the sanitarium provided free health services, milk and lunches to more than 30,000 children each summer until 1939, when the sanitarium closed

Later Uses

During World War II, the website continued, the structure was then used as a USO Center. After the war, the Chicago Park District used the venue for then-popular barn dances. 

Theater on the Lake 

In 1952, it was converted into the Theater on the Lake performance venue and showcased productions staged by the Park District’s many community theater organizations, and remained that way until 1996, when the Chicago Park District began inviting professional theater companies to remount their best works. 

Today: Event Space, Performance Venue, Restaurant

In2017, after a $7 million restoration and redevelopment, the 6-acre campus became a year-round restaurant and event space. The 19,000 square foot lakefront venue includes  a performance area for theater and music, a restaurant, two private event spaces and an outdoor patio.

Midwestern fare is made with the freshest ingredients at The Lakefront Restaurant, an upscale tavern with seating for 125 at intimate tables, communal seating and a lounge area. The Lakefront’s Skyline Patio, open seasonally, provides stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made on Open Table by clicking here. 

Upcoming Events 

On Sunday, December 17, at 3pm, the  Chicago Gay Men’s Choruscelebrates its 40th Anniversary with JOY: 40 Years of CGMC, a celebration of Chorus holiday favorites. For more information, click here.

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago