Location - Chicago, IL
Architect - Morris Architects/Planners
Client - Lookingglass Theatre Co.
General Contractor - Pepper Construction Co.
Consultants - R.L. Millies & Associates (MEP/FP); Thornton Tomasetti Engineers (structural); Schuler Shook (theater); The Talaske Group (acoustics and audio)
Photographer - Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing

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Rather than copying the style of the historic Water Works building — a Michigan Avenue icon that withstood the 1871 fire — Morris Architects/Planners inserted a deceptively simple black-box theater within. Jurors remarked on the way the architects accommodated the technical acoustical and vibration considerations with front-of-the-house amenities by reincorporating qualities of the historic building systems. The renovation lays bare the inner workings of the pump house in a gallery leading to the box office. Moveable seating risers, a demountable perimeter balcony, trapped stage floor, and an array of lighting catwalks provide a highly flexible space for innovative theater.