TimeLine Theatre Company is thrilled to share that it has marked a significant milestone in constructing its new home. The concrete pre-cast panels that form much of the walls, floors, and other framing for the company’s new home are now taking their place at 5035 N. Broadway, near the corner of Broadway and Argyle, in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
The pre-cast panels were previously fabricated and have been held in a warehouse in Wisconsin to await this moment. The process to transport and install them all at the site is scheduled to take approximately four weeks. At that time, the building’s structure will be substantially complete and contractor Bulley & Andrews will proceed to the next phases of construction.
A crane lifts a concrete pre-cast panel into place, as the process to frame TimeLine Theatre Company’s new home at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood begins. Credit: Hank Boland.
Previous phases included demolition of the front portion of the former Reebie warehouse (leaving the rear third to become space for offices, dressing rooms, and production studios); installation of nearly 40 supportive caissons, each 50 feet into the ground; and foundation work.
TimeLine anticipates opening its new building in spring 2026.
Further information about TimeLine’s new home project, including design renderings, are available at timelinetheatre.com/its-time.
Pictured (top two rows): Pre-cast panel installation on the site of TimeLine Theatre Company’s future new home, including the first panel to be placed (top row left and center). Credit: Lara Goetsch. Pictured (bottom row): A design rendering of TimeLine’s new home, to be located at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Credit: HGA.
Far more than just a theater, TimeLine’s new home will be an inviting, accessible facility and a welcoming gathering space for entertainment, education, and community engagement. Joining other venerable performance venues in the historic Uptown Entertainment District, TimeLine’s new home will feature an intimate and flexible 250-seat black box theater that can be re-imagined for every show; exhibit galleries that enhance the production experience; dedicated space for TimeLine’s Living History high school student audiences, education programming, and community gathering; expanded social spaces including a bar and café open day and night; a spacious and visible rehearsal room that invites a view of the art as it’s being made; office and production space for TimeLine’s growing staff; plus opportunities for future expansion.
The design and construction team for TimeLine’s new home includes HGA, Schuler Shook, Threshold Acoustics, Bulley & Andrews, and Cullen Construction Management.
Since launching its capital campaign, “IT'S TIME: The Campaign for TimeLine’s New Home,” the company has successfully raised more than $41 million toward the approximately $46 million project cost, including $12.9 million in public support ($2.9 million from the State of Illinois, $10 million from the City of Chicago), and funds from more than 200 generous individual donors. A list of campaign supporters to date is available upon request.
Even as its new home project reaches this impressive milestone and after departing its longtime home on Wellington Avenue after 25 years in residence, TimeLine Theatre hasn’t stopped making its artistic mark within the Chicago theatre community. So far this season, the company has presented two wildly successful productions: The musical Falsettos, produced in partnership with Court Theatre, enjoyed an extended run and was acclaimed by the Chicago Tribune and others as “one of the best Chicago productions of the year.” And the Chicago premiere of the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, presented in partnership with The Theatre School at DePaul University, was a sold-out hit and declared “an example of what theatre does best” by Chicago Stage and Screen.
Next up is the world premiere of a searing Chicago-set story rich with culinary tradition and dramatic twists about family, legacy, and survival at all costs, Dhaba on Devon Avenue. Written by Madhuri Shekar, directed Chay Yew, and produced in partnership with Writers Theatre, Dhaba on Devon Avenue runs June 19 – July 27, 2025 at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.
Also coming soon is TimeLine’s biggest event of the year. Step Into Time: A Century of Women will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 6 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, 160 E. Pearson Street in Chicago. This event celebrates TimeLine’s unique mission by stepping back into time for an extravagant evening that raises funds vital to the company’s work. Learn more and get tickets at timelinetheatre.com/step-into-time-2025.
Plans for TimeLine’s 2025-26 season—anticipated to include the inaugural production in the company’s new Uptown home—are still in formation.
ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Now celebrating its 28th season, TimeLine has presented 94 productions, including 14 world premieres and 43 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program and TimeLine South summer arts program, which bring the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools and beyond. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President Thaddeus J. Malik.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com, Facebook, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre on both platforms).