Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is bringing a theatrical, multisensory production to a historic building along the Chicago River, one of the latest examples of interactive experiences taking over retail and corporate space throughout the country.
The show, called “Theater of the Mind,” co-created by musician Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, is set to open this fall in the Reid Murdoch loft office building at 325 N. LaSalle St., Chicago-based landlord Friedman Properties announced.
“Theater of the Mind” will take over 19,000 square feet of vacant, ground-floor retail space within the eight-story, 325,000-square-foot property.
Other experiences that have scooped up office or retail space in Chicago include the Color Factory within the city’s tallest skyscraper, Willis Tower; the slime-oozing Sloomoo Institute concept in River North; the Museum of Ice Cream at the base of Tribune Tower on North Michigan Avenue, and the upcoming Harry Potter-themed store farther north on the Magnificent Mile.
Another landmark building north of the Loop business district, the Germania Club Building at 108 W. Germania Place, has been home to digital art projections including the popular “Immersive Van Gogh” run.
The Byrne concept, which had a previous run in Denver, is meant to be a long-term cultural attraction in Chicago, co-produced by the local Goodman Theatre, according to a statement. That theater and Friedman Properties have a longtime relationship, with the real estate firm having redeveloped the Goodman’s space on Dearborn Street 25 years ago.
The show is billed as mix of neuroscience and art that ticket buyers will be able to see, hear, feel and smell.
“The takeaway (from) the show is that our identities, our memories, our perception is not fixed — it keeps changing, it’s malleable, it’s not reliable,” Byrne said during a recent media event, according to WBEZ Chicago. “This sounds like bad news, but it’s actually good news. It means that the prejudices, the ideas and who we are when we were 10 years old, that’s not who we’re stuck being for the rest of our lives.”
Friedman Properties is led by Albert Friedman, often referred to as the “Mayor of River North” because of his long history of owning and developing buildings in the area.
His other projects include putting a temporary Bally’s casino in the historic Medinah Temple.
The building at 325 N. LaSalle, with a distinctive clocktower visible from passing boats, trains and vehicles, is a Chicago landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2023, Friedman sought and secured a zoning change that would allow the firm to eventually develop a 386-foot-tall apartment tower at 322 N. Clark St., adjacent to Reid Murdoch and a 10-story vintage office building the firm owns at 350 N. Clark St.
At the time, Friedman told CoStar News there were no immediate plans to develop a tower on the site, but that the zoning change would provide more development options. Friedman previously was focused on a hotel-focused development for the site.
“Theater of the Mind” will feature 140 performances per week and is expected to have about 100,000 visitors in the first year, according to Friedman.
“River North’s dynamic spirit makes it the perfect setting for this one-of-a-kind exhibit, which will create yet another destination for both Chicagoans and visitors,” Friedman, the real estate firm's CEO and chairman, said in the statement. “This neighborhood has a rich history of celebrating and supporting the creative arts, making it the ideal home for a boundary-pushing concept like ‘Theater of the Mind.’"