The Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago's Lincoln Park has served as a cornerstone of off-Loop nonprofit theater for nearly six decades. Since its 1969 conversion, the 2257-61 N. Lincoln Ave. site has evolved from an industrial facility into a celebrated incubator for diverse performing arts.
From U.S. Slicing Machine Company to the Body Politic Theatre
The building at 2257-61 N. Lincoln Ave. was not always a sanctuary for the arts. Constructed in 1921, the two-story structure originally served industrial purposes, including housing the U.S. Slicing Machine Company. As the report notes, the lobby still features exposed brick walls with stenciled numbers that once identified specific workstations used for meat processing.
The site's cultural identity shifted dramatically in 1969 when Rev. Jim Shifflett founded the Body Politic Theatre. Shifflett, a Presbyterian minister who famously marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. against segregation in Georgia, also established the Community Arts Foundation within the building. This foundation became a vital resource for Chicago, supporting various settlement houses, schools, and ethnic youth groups, according to the Chicago Public Library.
A Launchpad for David Mamet and Victory Gardens Theater
Throughout its history, the Greenhouse Theater Center has acted as a critical incubator for legendary theatrical talent. The venue has hosted a wide array of influential figures, including Paul Sills and his Story Theater company, as well as Stuart Gordon's Organic Theatre Company. Notably, the space provided a platform for David Mamet to stage his first Chicago production, Duck Variations.
The building's importance to the Chicago theater ecosystem was further cemented in 1981 when the Victory Gardens Theater joined the Body Politic at the Lincoln Avenue location. As reported by the Chicago Public Library, Victory Gardens utilized the downstairs space for extended runs of works such as Jeffrey Sweet's play Ties. This era helped establish the center as a premier destination for small to mid-sized nonprofit companies.
Surviving the 1974 Fire and 1985 Demolition Threats
The survival of the Greenhouse Theater Center has often depended on the resilience of its leadership against physical and financial crises. in 1974, an electrical fire on the second floor caused extensive damage that nearly shuttered the Body Politic Theatre. The organization faced another existential threat in 1979 due to a lack of funding,which breifly put the facility up for sale.
Beyond internal struggles, the theater has had to fight for its physical existence within the city. A 1985 Chicago Tribune report highlighted how the Body Politic successfully defeated a municipal plan to demolish the entire 2200 block of North Lincoln Avenue. The institution was eventually stabilized under the direction of Sharon Phillips and James O'Reilly, whose leadership led to acclaimed productions like a Jeff Award-nominated staging of Twelfth Night.
Unresolved questions regarding the Artful Dodger Pub and Lincoln Avenue ghosts
Despite its rich documented history, certain aspects of the building's past remain shrouded in mystery or contradiction. For instance, while the building is linked to the Artful Dodger Pub, the report notes a discrepancy: the only verified locations for that pub were in Wicker Park and Bucktown, not Lincoln Park. This leaves the exact nature of the pub's presence in the building an open question for local historians.
The venue also maintains a reputation for the supernatural, with patrons and staff reporting various ghostly encounters. While current productions like A Midsummer Night's Scream lean into the eerie atmosphere, the source does not provide specific evidence or verified accounts to confirm the identity of these alleged spirits. Whether these hauntngs are a product of the building's industrial history or mere urban legend, they remain a central part of the center's modern mystique.
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