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Merle Reskin Theatre, Chicago
Designed by Marshall & Fox, the Beaux-Arts theater has carried commercial productions, touring shows, DePaul training, and Chicago performance history for more than a century.
Merle Reskin Theatre
60 East Balbo Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605
Precision: Exact
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Quick Take
- Marshall & Fox designed the Blackstone Theatre, which opened in 1910.
- The 1,400-seat playhouse contributes to the Historic Michigan Boulevard District.
- DePaul announced in 2026 that it would stop operating the building as its primary theater, creating an urgent reuse and stewardship question.
Email updates for Merle Reskin Theatre.
Why It Matters
The Blackstone/Reskin is a purpose-built downtown playhouse whose architecture, stage, auditorium, and backstage systems preserve more than a facade. Its cultural value comes from the performances and training those rooms enabled.
DePaul's withdrawal does not remove landmark-district protection, but it can remove the operating institution that kept the building active. A protected theater without a funded operator can still deteriorate or lose its public role.
The next chapter should prioritize continued performance use, careful stewardship, and a transaction structure that respects the full theater interior.
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Research Narrative
The Blackstone Theatre
Marshall & Fox designed the Beaux-Arts playhouse, which opened in 1910 with about 1,400 seats. Its South Michigan Avenue location joined the city's hotel and cultural district.
Later renamed for donor Merle Reskin, the theater became a central performance and training space for DePaul's Theatre School.
A Theater Without Its Longtime Operator
Financial pressure led DePaul to announce that it would shutter the venue and pull back from its downtown operation in 2026.
The landmark district protects the exterior context, but the immediate questions are ownership, maintenance, interior protection, programming, and whether another operator can sustain a large historic house.
Public Actions
Campaign / Petition Record
DePaul announces closure of the Merle Reskin Theatre
The announcement places operation and stewardship in uncertainty.
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Latest Google News
Latest 3 stories
Merle Reskin Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
Longtime home of theater namesake Merle Reskin for sale at $7 million Crain's Chicago Business
Open StoryToday In Culture, Friday, May 15, 2026: Nathaniel Mary Quinn’s Rolling Stone Album Cover | High Tea at Stony Island Arts Bank | The Future of the Merle Reskin newcity.com
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Watchlist Blog
Related Updates
1 published update is linked to this article.
Watchlist Blog
May 31, 2026
DePaul’s Reskin exit leaves a landmark theater without a clear operator
Landmark protection remains, but DePaul's withdrawal removes the institution that programmed and maintained the 1,400-seat Blackstone Theatre.
FAQ
Is the theater being demolished?
No demolition is announced, and it contributes to a landmark district. The immediate risk is loss of operation, uncertain ownership, and deferred stewardship.
Sources
Source Trail
Preservation Chicago: DePaul shuttering Merle Reskin Theatre
institution
Architecture, district status, closure, and preservation concerns.
Place Snapshot
- Place
- Merle Reskin Theatre
- Location
- 60 East Balbo Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605
- Coverage
- Exact
Key Facts
- Region
- Chicago, Illinois / Midwest
- Location type
- Historic theater
- Opened
- 1910
- Architect
- Marshall & Fox
- Current status
- Closing as DePaul-operated venue; future operator unresolved
Design / Planning Timeline
Marshall & Fox
1910
Milestone
Original architect
Designed the Blackstone Theatre.
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