Oprah Winfrey is selling Harbo Studios in Chicago.
Oprah Winfrey is selling Harpo Studios in Chicago, the home of The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1990 to 2011. Though the studio will remain on the property for another two years, Winfrey has agreed to sell to a developer for around $32 million, according to Crain's Chicago Business.
Oprah Winfrey Is Selling Harbo Studios
"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. "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."
Around 200 people work at the 3.5-acre campus, which opened in 1990 and was credited with transforming the once gritty industrial neighbourhood to a place full of families, bars and trendy restaurants.
In 2011, then-Chicago Mayor Richard Daley named the street outside Harpo Studios "Oprah Winfrey Way". The "Queen of daytime television" first arrived in Chicago in 1984 to join WLS-TV's morning talks how 'A.M Chicago'. A month later, the show found itself at No.1 in the market and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show - going on to become the most successful daytime talk show in television history.
Oprah debuted her OWN network on January 1, 2011 in approximately 80 million homes. The programming involves a mix of original programs, specials, documentaries and acquired movies.
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