Steppenwolf breaks ground on multiyear, multimillion dollar expansion

Steppenwolf Theatre broke ground Tuesday on the second phase of its multiyear, 50,000-square-foot expansion that will add a 400-seat, in-the-round theater to the Chicago company's existing Halsted Street performance spaces.

The theater currently has a downstairs proscenium theater and a flexible upstairs counterpart, as well as the black box spaces the Garage Theatre and the 1700 Theatre. The latter, completed in 2016 along with the Front Bar, marked the first phase of the three-part expansion which Steppenwolf representatives estimate at $73 million in total. The lion's share, $54 million, will go toward the new building.

In addition to the intimate theater, the new facility at 1646 N. Halsted St. will include a dedicated education floor with classroom and workshop spaces, two new rehearsal spaces (replacing the upstairs theater), a two-story atrium lobby, a wine bar and sidewalk lounge. Designed by architect Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and the London-based theater design team Charcoalblue, the new building is expected to open in summer 2021. This phase will also include lobby renovations.

The expansion's third phase will increase accessibility to the downstairs theater, according to Steppenwolf representatives.

"This is a monumental moment for us that is more than two decades in the making built on the shoulders of the former leaders, the ensemble, the board, and the staff who have touched this project and together have made this vision a reality," said artistic director Anna D. Shapiro in a prepared statement.