Gorton Center has raised $4.9 million toward a $7 million campaign to overhaul its Lake Forest building. The nonprofit is asking the community to close the remaining $2 million gap.

Phase I construction began in August at the center's home at 400 E. Illinois Road. Workers are upgrading the Nagel and Stuart rooms, the catering kitchen and the technology inside the John and Nancy Hughes Theater, according to a campaign announcement on Gorton's website.

Phase II, planned for 2027, would add a new multipurpose commons area, move administrative offices to the second floor and make further improvements to the theater and the Grotto.

The campaign also sets aside money to grow Gorton's endowment.

Why this campaign

The nonprofit says its programming has outgrown its spaces. In the 12 years since the Community Spirit Transformed campaign, which renovated Gorton's first floor in 2014 and renamed the theater after John and Nancy Hughes, the number of classes and events has grown 500 percent. Annual attendance has surged 1,500 percent.

Last year alone, Gorton ran more than 600 programs and welcomed more than 16,000 patrons.

Thousands more used the building for community events and rentals beyond those programming numbers, according to the center's campaign page.

Gorton Center Executive Director Amy Wagliardo has described the center's mission in terms of human connection. "Singing together is deeply human," Wagliardo said in May when Gorton launched its community singing series. "It breaks down barriers, brings people into the moment, and it builds a sense of community in a really natural way."

The center's board said in an official statement that the campaign is meant to keep ticket and class pricing accessible and ensure Gorton continues serving families, students and audiences for generations.

How to give

Gorton Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit independent of the City of Lake Forest, though the city owns the historic building. Gifts of $5,000 or more earn recognition on a donor wall in the planned commons and the chance to name a theater seat.

Residents can donate online at gortoncenter.org/campaign, by mail to Gorton Center Development Office at 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045, or by contacting Laura K. Demmer, director of development, at 847-810-4108 or [email protected].

Phase II is slated to begin in 2027.