Winds are blowing for a new stage on Navy Pier
The roof of the Skyline Stage on Navy Pier was blown off its frame during a storm Dec 12. (Tribune photo by Nancy Stone)
Its canvas roof lifted up and away by the gales off Lake Michigan on Dec. 12, the Skyline Stage is now a sad sight at the heart of Navy Pier. A few shards of canvas can be seen attached to the frames. Otherwise, a rude wind blows across those plastic seats.
A Navy Pier spokesman insisted this week that the latest plan — after much internal debate from a new board — was to repair the roof, although no dates have been set for repairs that may not be finished in time for the traditional June start of the annual summer attraction, Cirque Shanghai. The Chinese acrobats are currently on hold.
Why bother rebuilding?
This is the perfect opportunity to build the new indoor theater that Chicago Shakespeare Theater needs. My Tribune colleague Blair Kamin has made the point that whatever gets built needs to be an architectural focal point of the new Navy Pier — and hear, hear to that — but everybody seems to agree that such a venue is desirable and that the Skyline Stage footprint is the spot. And the insurance money could make an excellent down payment.
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