Ravinia’s largest gift — $38 million — will support upgrades for its oldest building

More major changes are coming to Ravinia Festival in Highland Park.

The North Shore venue has received a $38 million gift from the Negaunee Foundation — the largest donation in the facility’s history — to renovate the Martin Theatre, its second major performance venue, according to a Wednesday announcement from Ravinia.

The project is expected to begin in October and finish by July 2028, while raising Ravinia’s Setting the Stages campaign from $75 million to $125 million.

“We are thrilled to announce that Ravinia will fully renovate and upgrade the beloved Martin Theater thanks to a generous gift from The Negaunee Foundation,” said Jeffrey P. Haydon, president and CEO of Ravinia Festival, in a statement. “We can’t wait to share it with our audiences in our 2028 season.” 

The Martin Theatre, an indoor concert hall, is the last building standing from the original construction of Ravinia Festival in 1904. It seats 850 guests and hosts “the world’s finest chamber ensembles and vocal and instrumental soloists.”

The Negaunee Foundation’s record $38 million gift will fund “significant enhancements to the theater,” while honoring the original arts and crafts aesthetics of the 122-year-old building, including iconic stained glass windows that inspired Ravinia’s logo, led by Architect Michael Barnes, according to Ravinia.

Renovations to the Martin Theatre will include an improved stage, production and backstage areas; a new acoustic shell; new lighting and rigging; upgraded dressing rooms and technical spaces; new seating; back-of-the-house improvements, and repairs to the building’s exterior. 

The theater was renovated in the mid-1970s to “mirror the range of programming in the pavilion.” In 1995, the theater was renamed in honor of longtime Ravinia donor Eloice W. Martin, and the Negaunee Foundation reportedly desired to keep the venue’s name. 

To Richard Colburn, the president of the Negaunee Foundation, it is “meaningful” that the Martin Theatre’s history will be upheld for years to come.

This gift comes in the wake of Ravinia’s unveiling of its $75-million, “state-of-the-art” pavilion in July, The Record previously reported, as well as the conversion of the Sandra K. Crown Theater for live-music performances in 2025, according to Haydon. 

That project was also anchored by a major donation ($21 million) from the Negaunee Foundation, a Northbrook-based family foundation that supports museums and performing arts and holds, as of 2024, more than $600 million in assets.  

Renovations for the pavilion included the deeper Negaunee Stage with a new acoustic shell, seating, improved accessibility, sound system, theatrical and architectural lighting, production booths, a video production room, as well as improvements to the back-of-the-house facilities.

The foundation’s previous gift also gave birth to the Negaunee Foundation Artist Center at Ravinia. 

Other gifts offered to support previous Ravinia renovations include a $20 million gift from Maxine and Thomas B. Hunter III and other donors to support what is now Hunter Pavilion.  

The design phase for the Martin Theatre project has been completed and construction will begin in October following the end of the 2026 season on Sept. 23. 

Future phases of the Setting the Stages Campaign will include the renovation of the outdoor Carousel Stage and a thorough updating of Bennett Gordon Hall. 

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