Oprah Winfrey will soon shut down Harpo Studios in Chicago where she filmed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for more than 20 years, as well as various television shows for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

The Chicago site that held Harpo Studios and OWN is scheduled to completely shut down by the end of the year leaving close to 200 employees out of jobs. The street next to the Chicago Harpo Studios was named "Oprah Winfrey Way" in 2011. It is not clear if it will be renamed.

Prior to the Harpo Studios shut down news, Winfrey relocated filming for OWN in West Hollywood, California. According to the New York Daily News, Winfrey sold the Chicago site to developer Sterling Bay Cos. last year for about $32 million.

In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Winfrey acknowledged that though she is sad about the shutdown, she is excited to embark on future projects with her network that include new television shows and Broadway productions.

"[Chicago has] been everything for me. I've spent more hours in this building than I have any other building on Earth. ... We were here when there was nothing but hoes and rats on the street, and now it's one of the hottest neighborhoods [in Chicago]," Winfrey revealed, adding that OWN would cease filming at the Chicago site on Tuesday. "The time had come to downsize this part of the business and to move forward. It will be sad to say goodbye, but I look ahead with such a knowing that what the future holds is even more than I can see."

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that in addition to transforming her network, Winfrey is also seeking to delve more in the world of acting. Winfrey will allegedly be heading to New York soon to potentially perform in two theatrical plays. She is also set to reunite with Lee Daniels in the upcoming biopic about comedian Richard Pryor.

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