Welcome to a place where beauty matters.
Since 1911, we’ve been setting the stage for beauty.
We carry on the legacy and history of the original St. Alphonsus Athenaeum, Chicago’s oldest continuously operating Off-Loop theatre.
Our campus serves as a collaborative hub for the Chicago arts and non-profit communities with event, performance, and office space available for rent at affordable rates.
Because art and beauty have a purpose.
Art is essential to our life as human beings because it brings us into contact with beauty.
Have you cried while listening to music? Or been awestruck by a view? The human mind and soul are made for beauty—of all living things, only we absorb reality in this unique, intense way.
Beauty reveals to us the truth and goodness of ourselves, the world, and the divine.
At The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, we believe that art and beauty have the capacity to build up culture, transform society, and change lives.
We want to restore the
centrality of art to human life.
Our mission is to invite people into encounters with beauty and to revitalize the great Catholic tradition of the arts from our location in one of Chicago’s most unique religious, artistic, and civic buildings.
Can beauty save the world? Let’s find out together.
Edify Your Inbox
Never miss a chance to encounter beauty. Join our mailing list to be notified about upcoming performances and events.
Enrich Your Experience
Attend a show at the Athenaeum. We have a full calendar of events, and look forward to welcoming you!
