Construction is complete on the renovated and expanded Ravinia Dining Pavilion, the first of a two-phase project overseen by Chicago-based architecture firm Wight & Company. The dining pavilion at the popular Ravinia Festival performance venue in Highland Park, Ill., includes a new second-level al fresco outdoor dining area, which increases the outdoor seating capacity for patrons without adding to the building’s current 43,000 square feet of space.
“Ravinia sought to build upon the success of its dining pavilion and enhance what it offers patrons, but without changing the structure’s footprint,” said Michael Barnes, AIA, LEED AP, design principal for the project at Wight & Company, who also handled the design of the building when it was first constructed in 2007. “It was both a challenge and a unique opportunity to simultaneously increase the use of the building while still retaining harmony with its surroundings through a design that works with the original architecture as a result of its use of similar materials and form elements. The updated design also complements the original with its organically inspired terrace canopies and more open and welcoming interior spaces.”
The first floor of the redesigned building now includes the new Lawn Bar, which offers indoor and outdoor seating. Large glass panels provide a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces and make it open to walk-by traffic. The expanded Festival Shop, which sells gifts and picnic gear, is now almost double in size, and the Ravinia Market has also been expanded. Wight reconfigured the Ravinia Market to increase the number of hot food stations to complement its traditional grab-and-go items for picnics on the lawn.
On the second floor, both the existing Park View restaurant and the new Tree Top restaurant offer covered outdoor seating for al fresco dining. The Tree Top was created out of underutilized banquet space.
The entire dining pavilion is run by Levy Restaurants and overseen by Michael Tstonton, the new executive chef at Ravinia. In its role as architect of record and lead architect, Wight & Company worked with hospitality design firm Knauer and with Studio Agoos Lovera, which consulted on the gift shop design.
According to Barnes, the dining pavilion’s new design is sensitive to Ravinia’s natural setting – a highly appealing attribute of the venue, which draws approximately 15,000 patrons per concert. The pronounced layered steps in the dining pavilion’s façade and the use of natural materials and transparency connect the interior of the building to the festival grounds, allowing for extensive views of the landscape and concert activities. Aside from glass, the other material on the façade is weather-treated mahogany, chosen for its warm color and sympathetic relationship with the surrounding landscape.
“Even the most successful restaurants must refresh to remain enticing as trends and tastes change, and when it came time to rejuvenate Ravinia’s Dining Pavilion, there was no question that we would turn to architect Michael Barnes of Wight & Company, who designed our original 2007 building with the legendary Dirk Lohan. While keeping with the elegance and grace of his original design, Michael created flourishes that make the building feel brand new as he expanded our spaces for an inviting indoor/outdoor breeziness that will let our guests make the most of Chicago’s short and treasured summer season,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. “Like Ravinia itself, Michael’s updated building is a very clever combination of the refined and the casual.”
In the second phase of the dining pavilion’s renovation, Wight & Company will focus on incorporating a new space to house The Music Experience, a multimedia experience and exhibit venue intended to increase awareness and appreciation of classical music. This 20,000-square-foot, two-story addition will connect to the dining pavilion’s second level and offer extra rooftop bar space.
Working with exhibit designers BRC Imagination Arts, the team at Wight & Company created a design that accommodates The Music Experience’s multiple audiences – from patrons touring the exhibits before concerts to school and other large groups visiting in the off-season. Construction on The Music Experience will begin after the 2018 performance season ends and will be completed for opening at the beginning of the 2019 season.
About Wight & Company:
Established in 1939, Chicago-based Wight & Company is a pioneer of integrated Design & Delivery and one of the country’s top planning, architecture, engineering, construction, and transportation and infrastructure services firms. With a staff of 185+ specialists, Wight delivers comprehensive solutions that streamline the complex process of bringing buildings and spaces to life. As the first firm to receive Green Firm Certification from the Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI) and the architect of more than 80 LEED certified or registered projects, Wight seamlessly blends extraordinary design with sustainable planning and construction principles to create vibrant, healthy, high-performing environments for both public and private sector clients. In 2016, Wight & Company combined with acclaimed architecture firm Lohan Anderson, bringing the expertise of celebrated architect Dirk Lohan, grandson of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, to the firm. For more information, visit www.wightco.com.
About Ravinia:
Ravinia, located right outside Chicago, is North America’s oldest and most diverse music festival, presenting over 140 different events every summer, including the annual residency of the nation’s finest, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a nonprofit organization, Ravinia provides arts programs for over 85,000 people in underserved communities in Cook and Lake Counties through its Reach*Teach*Play educations programs. Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute is a summer music conservatory that awards 60–70 fully paid fellowships each year to the most talented young professional musicians from around the world to work with an esteemed faculty and the headliners who frequent the festival. For information, visit Ravinia.org.
