Oprah Winfrey plans to close Harpo Studios in Chicago this year, she announced Tuesday. NBC Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
Oprah Winfrey plans to close Harpo Studios in Chicago this year.
Winfrey announced the news Tuesday, laying out a timeline for the closing of her West Loop TV studios, where her iconic show was filmed.
“Harpo Studios in Chicago was not just my home but also my life for nearly 30 years," she said in a statement. "I’ve spent more time there than anywhere else. I am so proud of what we created. It has been a blessing in my life and I thank everyone who has been a part of this great run. I am now looking ahead to inhabiting the new space on The Lot in California and carrying on the legacy of Harpo Studios with OWN programming.”
Presidents of OWN and Harpo Studios, Erik Logan and Sheri Salata, said the studio should be closed in Chicago by December.
"We have been fortunate to have this spectacular city of Chicago as our home for over 25 years and are thankful to everybody who has been a part of this great company," the pair said in a statement.
Last March, Harpo Inc. announced it had entered into a purchasing agreement with Sterling Bay Cos. for the four-building campus on Chicago’s West Side.
"We have entered into a purchasing agreement with Sterling Bay for the four-building Harpo Studios campus in Chicago's West Loop," Harpo told Crain's in a statement at the time. "We expect the transaction to be closed in 30 days. The property will be leased back to Harpo for two years and the studio will continue to produce programming for OWN."
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Winfrey first came to Chicago in 1984 to the morning talk show, "A.M. Chicago." A month later, the show was No. 1 in the market, and renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1985.
Winfrey moved to Harpo Studios in 1990 and is credited with transforming the once-gritty industrial area to a neighborhood filled with families and trendy restaurants.
Winfrey filmed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" at the studio from 1990 to 2011, when she ended the talk show to start her cable network.
In 2011, then-Chicago Mayor Richard Daley named the street outside Harpo Studios "Oprah Winfrey Way."
