A proposed 550-seat theater and 185-unit apartment complex in downtown Elmhurst could take a visible step forward next month, with a rendering expected at a Nov. 14 fundraising gala.
Mark George, president of the Encore Center for Performing Arts, told Patch he expects the rendering to be shown at the nonprofit's Spotlight Giving Gala at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook. The new developer working on the project may submit a concept to the city by the end of the year, George said.
The project targets the 100 block of West First Street. The structure could rise four to six stories and would require demolishing existing buildings on much of the block.
Encore has not named its new development partner. The nonprofit said it has been working with the firm since the spring, after Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies withdrew from the project in March.
Ryan's departure followed months of friction over costs and financing. In a September 2025 email to city officials, Ryan executive Olga Olejniczak wrote that the company could not "justify further pursuit costs without clarity on a workable TIF strategy," Patch reported in August. A tax increment financing district, or TIF, channels growth in property tax revenue within a defined area back into that area's redevelopment.
The new partnership changes the financial picture. Without a developer, Encore would need to raise $60 million on its own. With one, the nonprofit's share drops to about $25 million, according to the group.
City officials have expressed openness to supporting the project with TIF funds. Mayor Scott Levin said during his 2025 campaign that money from the special tax district would be appropriate and called the theater a "boon" for Elmhurst's economy, Patch reported in a July article.
Not all residents share that enthusiasm.
Since 2025, some have spoken out against the project at Elmhurst City Council meetings, objecting to tall downtown apartment buildings, traffic congestion and related concerns. At a May 5, 2025, council meeting, resident Jonathan Keenan raised safety worries about the intersection at First Street and Addison Avenue. Laura Werly, a retired Hawthorne Elementary School teacher, said she supported a performing arts center but not the apartment component, calling the combined building "massive, tall and not attractive," Patch reported.
Encore held meetings with residents over the summer and offered tours of the proposed site. George said in August that the new developer has been "extraordinarily receptive" to feedback gathered during those sessions.
An Encore-commissioned study projects the project's yearly economic impact at $8.2 million, with $692,000 in annual sales, food, beverage and hotel taxes. Of that, $202,000 would go directly to the city of Elmhurst, according to the study.
The Nov. 14 gala begins at 5:30 p.m. Illinois State Rep. Marti Deuter will serve as honorary chair.
