$50 Million, Adults-Only Magic Theater Coming To Former Lawry’s Prime Rib Downtown

via Block Club Chicago

DOWNTOWN — A $50 million magic theater is slated to open inside the previous Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant, marking a massive investment in the Magnificent Mile area.
The Hand & The Eye will take over the McCormick Mansion at 100 E. Ontario St., just around the corner from the Mag Mile. The 35,000-square-foot space will have 37 magic rooms and a tour that will focus on the history of “close-up magic,” according to a news release.

Visitors will be guided through secret passageways throughout the mansion, encountering “world-class” magicians along the way, according to the news release. The experience is meant to be intimate and personalized to groups as they make their way through the venue.
Chicago entrepreneur Glen Tullman and architect David Rockwell are behind the development of the venue, with locally owned Levy Restaurants planned to run the dining operation. Levy runs food and beverage programs at sports stadiums and venues across the city.

“This is not something you go to see. It’s an experience you have and are a part of,” Tullman said in a statement. “And once you have the experience, you want to share it with others because it’s impossible to describe, like a picture that doesn’t capture something you saw. You must be there to feel it.”
Magicians are also part of the founding team — and among them is the theater’s curator of magic, Jeff Kaylor. Kaylor, creator of Magic Moments, travels across the United States performing magic and delivering keynote speeches, according to his website.
McCormick Mansion was built in 1889 as a family home, but it became a casino in the 1930s and then the Kungsholm Grand Opera Puppet Theatre in the ’40s. Most recently, it was home to Lawry’s Prime Rib for nearly 40 years.
The Hand & The Eye plans to be open seven nights a week, and it will be open to adults only. Dinner reservations will also be available. Tullman told the Tribune the menu is likely to be upscale with a dress code that bans jeans and sneakers.
Seven theaters inside the mansion will offer seating for 25-100 guests, and they will be customized for everything from close-up magic to medium-range illusions, according to the Tribune. The venue will also feature live jazz and a retail store.
The venue is set to open in spring 2026. Tickets and memberships will be available through an exclusive pre-release.