The McGrath Family Performing Arts Center by Krueck Sexton Partners: A Stage for Imagination, Expression, and Jesuit Values

Located on the campus of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, the McGrath Family Performing Arts Center, designed by Krueck Sexton Partners, is more than just a high-performance theater—it’s a carefully envisioned architectural response to the school’s Jesuit mission. Completed in 2022, the 29,500-square-foot cultural buildingredefines how space can nurture artistic expression, educational experiences, and community connections, all while honoring sustainability and spiritual purpose.

An Architecture Rooted in Ignatian Pedagogy

The project emerged from a series of collaborative design sessions involving Loyola Academy’s leadership, students, and Krueck Sexton Partners. At the heart of the discussion were two pivotal questions:

How can architecture express Jesuit values? How can a theater transform the campus experience for students and faculty alike?

These questions inspired a design rooted in Ignatian pedagogy, encouraging not only creativity but reflection, empathy, and service. The outcome is a multifunctional performing arts facility that transforms its environment, encourages student agency, and aligns with the school’s mission to “Be More.”

Spatial Integration and Campus Transformation

The northeast corner of the campus was chosen as the site for the addition, creating a new outdoor quad that functions as both a social hub and acoustic buffer from the nearby interstate. The positioning reflects the philosophy that great design is defined as much by what is left open as by what is built.

The building’s main lobby doubles as an outdoor stage, allowing performances to extend beyond the walls of the theater and engage the entire student body in shared artistic experiences. This spatial fluidity echoes the public-facing dais of the Chiesa del Gesù in Rome, further grounding the project in Jesuit architectural heritage.

A Theater that Serves and Inspires

The centerpiece of the project is a 560-seat state-of-the-art proscenium theater, providing professional-level acoustics and lighting for school productions, guest performances, and community events. Its presence has catalyzed new programming opportunities, strengthened the school’s arts curriculum, and opened the campus to collaboration with local nonprofit organizations, reinforcing Loyola’s values of inclusion and social outreach.

Inside, the theater’s material choices are both economical and meaningful: raw CMU blocks are rotated for acoustic performance and visual texture, while gallery walls double as curated display spaces. Sustainable construction practices, including embodied carbon reductions of up to 56%, reinforce the building’s commitment to environmental stewardship, echoing Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ and encouraging students to care for the Earth as part of their moral education.

Celebrating Architecture That Teaches

Circulation within the building becomes part of the educational journey. A balcony-level bridge overlooks both the gallery and the lobby, turning observers into participants. The curved curtain wall and deep overhangs allow natural light to filter in while framing views of the new quad, creating a theater of daily life. Each design move is a lesson in spatial awareness, sustainability, and community-building.

By integrating modern materials such as glass, steel, concrete, and acoustic elements with Jesuit architectural symbolism, Krueck Sexton Partners have created a space that inspires both performance and contemplation. The McGrath Family Performing Arts Center is not just a venue—it’s a living classroom, a cultural beacon, and a physical embodiment of Loyola’s mission to educate the whole person.

All the photographs are works of Steve Hall / Hall + Merrick + McCaugherty