Glenview’s Oil Lamp Theater has shifted its plans to move to a new building, and is hoping to raise the curtain there in 2028.
After announcing plans last year to relocate to larger facilities across the street from its current location on Glenview Road, the storefront theater is now preparing to move just up the block, into the former Ten Ninety Brewing Co. building at 1025 Waukegan Road.
This new site is next door to Oil Lamp Academy, a school operated by the theater.
Jay Pastucha, executive director of the Oil Lamp Theater, said the shuttered brewery and tap room will provide the space the theater needs to grow, but with less construction required to get it there.
“There was just a lot of work that needed to be done on the previous location,” he said, referring to the former Country Cobbler Shoe Store building at 1723 Glenview Road, which the theater had earlier proposed for its new home. “The more you go through a process, the more you learn about a building and all its needs.”
It was around this time that the opportunity for the new building surfaced, Pastucha noted.
“Kismet, I think, is the right word for it,” he said.
Ten Ninety Brewing opened its Glenview location in 2016, but had closed by early 2025. The building is owned by the founder of the Negaunee Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Northbrook, Pastucha said.
Plans call for Oil Lamp to rent the building with the exact terms of the partnership still being finalized, Pastucha said.
The new location will offer better parking opportunities, including some dedicated spaces and sharing with neighboring businesses, he said.
“The visibility is significantly increased as well,” Pastucha added, referring to its location on the busy Waukegan Road corridor.
The theater in 2025 launched “Light the Way,” a $5 million capital campaign aimed at more than doubling its 60 seats and creating a larger stage, lobby and backstage area.
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“It’s all about the transformation of this gem here in Glenview,” Pastucha said. “How do we take it from a smaller operation to a more well-oiled organization while retaining that same heart?”
While fundraising was briefly paused, it has ramped up now that the new location has been selected, he indicated.
“One of the great things about this building is that the infrastructure is so robust,” Pastucha said. “Even though it is twice the square footage [of the previously selected building], it doesn’t change the budget at all. It was a very smart financial decision on our part to look at this option and we’re really excited for that.”
The goal is to open in 2028, he said.
Oil Lamp Theater set up a home in Glenview in 2012. It has become known for its intimate, community-centered feel, which Pastucha stressed will be retained within its new footprint, which calls for about 150 seats.
Growing the theater was necessary in order for it to present a wider range of productions, use larger casts and appeal to wider audiences, he said last year.