Shrinkin’ Centers
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Litwin and the village of Skokie have until December to decide what to do now; if they don’t move ahead they risk losing more than $10 million in state funds allocated to the project. Litwin insists the Skokie village trustees are committed to the venture; they are exploring the feasibility of a major capital drive to come up with the additional millions needed for a larger facility.
In the city, meanwhile, the proposal for a new performing arts center to house the Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is going nowhere fast. Even Lyric general director Ardis Krainik, once the project’s most ardent supporter, is actively pursuing alternative options. Like the CSO, Krainik has retained the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to explore what could be done to expand and modernize the existing Opera House facilities. Bob Lauer, a spokesman for the blue-ribbon committee of corporate executives who were looking into the financial feasibility of the idea, said the group is dormant and will remain so unless a new impetus arises.
On another front, Weisberg’s plans to clean up the Cultural Center’s facade are stalled. Some $2 million in federal funds that she hoped to use to renovate the building are stuck in Congress; Weisberg says city workers are going ahead anyway with painting and other cosmetic improvements inside.
Paramount Treads Lightly With Stepping Out
