Revitalizing Downtown Chicago with a Cultural Stadium: Lou Raizin, the Mastermind behind Broadway in Chicago, Leads the Way

CHICAGO (WLS) —
Picture a scenario where the downtown area features a floating stage on the Chicago River, a farmer’s market set up on a barge, and art installations scattered throughout the city.

Lou Raizin, the president and CEO of Broadway in Chicago is behind a new vision for revitalizing downtown Chicago.

He calls it a Cultural Stadium.

Raizin has a track record of bringing big change to the city. He was involved in the creation of Millennium Park and the Theatre District.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“This initiative takes into account various aspects, drawing from research conducted by McKinsey and other analyses of struggling downtown areas,” he explained. “We aim to address the existing gaps. Downtown exhibits various voids, be it in terms of retail spaces, office occupancy, and how can we address this? This approach involves integrating cultural elements wherever possible.”

34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway’s ward includes part of downtown, and he in onboard.

“We need to see more foot traffic downtown. An additional arts and culture part of that will of course help in that matter,” Conway said.

Raizin said culture is why people come to Chicago “and culture at the end of the day is ultimately what makes us, us.”

Conway said the Arts in the Dark Parade and the Millennium Park tree lighting are wildly successful, and art could better impact the city.

“By maintaining a continuous presence of arts and culture all year round, we anticipate a rise in pedestrian traffic, contributing to enhanced safety measures, economic prosperity, and other factors that are vital for the downtown’s rejuvenation, especially as we navigate our way out of the pandemic,” he added.

A key question is how to pay for the project. Raizin said it’s at the scale of Millennium Park.

“It takes civic leaders, it takes philanthropic, it takes political people, it takes a whole slew of efforts all aligning under one common flag and that’s culture,” he said.

For more information or to weigh in on the Cultural Stadium:

https://culturalstadium.com/