Reva and David Logan Center For the Arts

Make sure you’re at least 15 minutes early to ensure you get into your event!
Another Hyde Park excursion landed me enjoying the beautiful Logan Center. I came here for a concert by The Middle East Music Ensemble, and I was really taken back by how beautiful the building was. The interior was really nice and had some nice exhibits and displays.
The chairs were very comfortable and the sight line from the back was great. The sound inside the theater was fantastic. I felt very engaged by the music.
The bathrooms are located in the basement.
I arrived late to the performance because of work and traffic, and found that it was over capacity. They were not letting anyone in. The (probably student) usher was obviously annoyed at the constant barrage of questions of people hoping to get in. There was a tv screen outside the door displaying the concert. Even though my friend was saving me a seat, the usher and supervisor would not let anyone in… Though they brought chairs for people to sit and watch the tv. And they eventually relented toward the end of the program when I was able to sit with my friend.

Now a major center for the arts on the south side, it is unmistakable for it’s major skinny profile. A nice piece of art in itself with reaching views of the city all around on the balcony and porch space above. The main auditorium has drawn me as a concert hall, lecture room, and film screening room and major world figures are regularly rotating through here, it is already a legend in a short time. There are also all kinds of studios and galleries throughout, it services all the arts which is pretty unique for a single structure. A major win and addition for Chicago, if only it was easier to get down there on a weeknight from elsewhere in the city…

I agreed to serve as event coordinator for my friend’s wedding reception. The Operations, AV, and Security Teams were extremely helpful (especially for an amateur event person like myself). This is a beautiful building with a variety of spaces. The views from the 9^th/​10^th floor are especially lovely. I am very excited to see the growth of event space options on the South Side.
There are a host of performances going on here. Their calendar can be found at
. Find an event of interest and check it out.
This was my first time in the building. I didn’t realize that they had a café, so I will be back to try out the food.

This building is amazing, an architectural gem. The thinking behind the design is incredible, to as far as the stairwells, which are open, welcoming with benches and windows all the way down. Cool building.

Groups were being given exclusive tours of the building and I managed to get in on one of these led by none other than the Center’s executive director, David Michal, an alumnus of the University of Chicago, on whose campus the building stands. To orient yourself, remember that the Center is composed of two main structures: the L-​shaped squat 2-​story building, which grouped together is called, «The Podium.» Then the 9-​story «Tower.» The floors within the Podium and the Tower are accessible by stairways, elevators and between them a courtyard bridge.
Starting on the ground floor, we first entered the large Performance Hall, an auditorium which seats 474 (about half the capacity of Mandel Hall, an older concert space/​theater elsewhere on campus). This is a modern theater which can support the full range of live performances as well as all displays of media. So excellent acoustics here were important. Even more modest performance spaces are adjacent to the Hall on the same floor, Theater East (seats 105 people) and Theater West, the flexible black-​box space (seats 130 to 170). Both of these are geared for student productions. Note that all three of these theaters are currently generically named, no doubt looking for the generous donor or alumnus for more enduring names. There is also a small exhibition gallery and a major scenic shop (for students) on the main floor.
The second floor of the Podium is mostly faculty and staff offices, a few classrooms, and artist studios. One interesting space on 2 is a film and media (including 3D) screening room (seats 128). This room was purposely built to be a spring-​floated «concrete box-​within-​a-​concrete box» for maximum sound isolation. When you’re inside, it’s extremely quiet, unless something is being screened.
The Tower has a variety of classrooms, performance labs, small theater spaces, and practice rooms on its many floors. In the dance performance lab that we saw, it was outfitted with hanging «silks» for an acrobatics rehearsal. The Tower is topped by the intimate but airy Performance Penthouse (flexible seating) and a rooftop deck. There are stunning views of the University buildings along Midway Plaisance from many of the upper floors of the Tower.
Arrange for a visit or an attendance. The building is open 7 days a week. There’s free visitor parking in a lot directly west of the Center’s block. Hungry? There is a café on the first floor of the Tower.