Fine Arts Building

Name

Fine Arts Building

Legal name

Fine Arts Building

Website

https://fineartsbuilding.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Venue & Commercial Real Estate

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Historic arts venue
• Artist studio rentals
• Performance theater rental
• Commercial arts real estate
• Live event ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Theater Ticket Sales: The Fine Arts Building generates revenue through ticket sales for performances at the Studebaker Theater. Ticket fees of $8.00 are applied to all sales, with additional facility fees for online orders.
2. Artist Studio Rentals: Long-term lease-based rental of vintage artist studios and office space to creative tenants including painters, musicians, architects, therapists, and other artistic professionals.
3. Performance Space Rentals: Rental of the Studebaker Theater (600-seat), Annex Studios (dance rehearsal spaces), and Little Studio (multidisciplinary gathering space) to production companies and presenters. Spaces offered at hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly rates.
4. Retail/Cafe Operations: Groundswell Coffee Roasters cafe opening in 2025 in the storefront at 410 S. Michigan Avenue, serving coffee beverages and food to visitors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Fine Arts Building is a historic 10-story commercial arts complex at 410 S Michigan Avenue in Chicago that rents artist studios and office space to creative professionals, operates and rents the 600-seat Studebaker Theater for live performances, and provides rehearsal/event spaces (Annex Studios, Little Studio). It also sells event tickets directly to the public and supports on-site retail (upcoming Groundswell Coffee Roasters cafe) within a landmarked building dating from 1898.

Product overview

The Fine Arts Building is a single, unified physical venue offering rather than a software platform. The core offering is the historic Fine Arts Building venue itself—a 10-floor artist haven housing studios and workspaces for artists across multiple disciplines. The primary performance product is the Studebaker Theater, a 600-seat proscenium theater. Supporting rental products include the Annex Studios (dance rehearsal spaces) and Little Studio (multidisciplinary gathering space). The building also hosts recurring programming including Second Fridays open studios events and VIP theater experiences. Additional services include an upcoming Groundswell Coffee Roasters cafe, architecture tours via the Chicago Architecture Center, and a published book about the building's history.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Studebaker Theater A 600-seat proscenium theater within the Fine Arts Building, hosting musicals, comedy shows, concerts, dance, puppetry, opera, and other performances. Renovated 2021-2022 with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems while preserving historic architecture. Operated by Arts Entertainment LLC.
• Annex Studios Three centrally located rehearsal studio spaces available for rehearsals, workshops, classes, or events. Licensed at hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly rates with extended buyouts possible. Operated by Arts Entertainment LLC.
• Little Studio Community rental space on the seventh floor (Studio 732) ideal for staged readings, rehearsals, open mics, auditions, classes, comedy performances, and more. Licensed on half-day (4 hour), full-day (8 hour), and weekly basis.
• Artist Studios & Office Space Leasing Long-term lease-based rental of vintage artist studios and office space to creative tenants including painters, musicians, architects, therapists, sculptors, puppeteers, yoga practitioners, and craftspeople. Properties managed by Berger Realty.
• Studebaker Theater VIP Lounge Experience Premium VIP experience offering exclusive lounge access, private restrooms, bar service during intermission, and first-class service for up to 25 guests at select events at the Studebaker Theater.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ audience members annually for Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Groundswell Coffee RoastersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Groundswell Coffee Roasters is opening a new cafe location at the Fine Arts Building in August 2025 in the storefront at 410 S. Michigan Avenue. Will serve exclusive Fine Arts Building coffee roast, locally roasted coffees, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and pastries. Hours: 7am-7pm daily.
• Berger RealtycoreOthersBerger Realty manages the Fine Arts Building property portfolio, including the Fine Arts Building and 40 East Oak building. Contact: 312-566-9800, [email protected]. Property Manager: Joaquin Williams, Assistant Property Manager: Idalis Huerta.
• Arts Entertainment LLCcoreOthersArts Entertainment LLC manages and operates the Studebaker Theater, Annex Studios, and Little Studio. Key staff include Jacob Harvey (Managing Artistic Director), Alexander Attea (Creative Director), Paige Farestveit (General Manager), and Madison Ramirez (Box Office Manager).
• Chicago Architecture CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago Architecture Center offers 1-hour guided tours of the Fine Arts Building, showcasing the historic architecture including the Venetian Courtyard, manually-operated elevators, and Art Nouveau murals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based theater company operating multiple performance venues with resident ensemble programming. Comparable as a Chicago-rooted performing arts organization combining venue operations with curated programming and a similar mid-size venue scale.
• Harris Theater for Music and Dance: Chicago performing arts venue (Millennium Park) presenting music and dance from emerging and mid-sized arts organizations. Directly comparable as a Chicago performance venue that rents space to smaller arts companies, mirroring the Studebaker/Annex rental model.
• Lookingglass Theatre Company: Chicago-based theater company with its own performance venue. Comparable as a smaller-scale Chicago theater operator combining resident ensemble production with venue rental, similar in scope and audience to Studebaker's programming mix.
• Goodman Theatre: One of Chicago's oldest and largest not-for-profit theater companies, operating its own multi-stage venue complex. Comparable as a Chicago theater venue operator serving similar audiences with theatrical programming and similar rental/event revenue models.
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Chicago theater company operating its own multi-stage venue on Navy Pier. Comparable as a Chicago-rooted theater venue operator with its own production programming, rental operations, and similar target audience for live theater experiences.

Others

• Chicago Architecture Center: Chicago nonprofit offering architecture tours and cultural programming. Comparable as a strategic partner and Chicago cultural institution offering paid architecture tours; represents an adjacent/complementary cultural programming model relevant to Fine Arts Building's tour offering.

Regional players

• Navy Pier: Major Chicago entertainment and cultural venue complex on Lake Michigan. Comparable as a multi-venue Chicago entertainment destination hosting performances, festivals, and attractions with similar operational breadth, though in a tourist/entertainment-focused model.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Symphony Center): Operates the Symphony Center, a major Chicago performing arts venue in the Loop. Comparable as a large-scale Chicago concert venue operator with similar audience base, programming calendar, and box office/ticketing operations, though at significantly larger scale.
• Lyric Opera of Chicago: Major Chicago opera company operating a large-scale opera house on Wacker Drive. Comparable as a Chicago performing arts venue and cultural landmark serving similar opera, classical, and theater audiences, though substantially larger in scale and budget.
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Major Chicago contemporary art museum near the Fine Arts Building's Water Tower area. Comparable as a Chicago cultural institution combining exhibitions, performance programming, and audience engagement in a similar Chicago arts ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/fineartsbuilding
• Xx.com/FineArtsBldg
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagofineartsbuilding
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fine-arts-building

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fine Arts Building