Kenwood Theater Project Proposed for TIF Support

March 15, 2023

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The planned Lillian Marcie Theater in Kenwood would receive up to $6 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) support under a proposal introduced to City Council today by Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot.

The $28.8 million project by Lillian Marcie Legacy Co. is rehabilitating a former Marshall Field & Co. warehouse at 4341 S. Cottage Grove Ave. for use as a performing arts venue with a 350-seat main theater and 100-seat boutique theater.

The Lillian Marcie Legacy Co. is a nonprofit founded to support the creation of the Lillian Marcie Theater as a premier global arts institution in Bronzeville that “seeks to become the capitol of Black American performance culture.”

The approximately 110-year-old, Prairie-style structure is rated orange on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey.

The project is expected to generate up to 20 permanent full-time jobs.

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