Biograph Theater facts for kids
The Biograph Theater in June 2007
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| Address | 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago, Illinois United States |
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| Owner | Victory Gardens Theater |
| Type | Regional theater |
| Capacity | Začek McVay: 299 Richard Christiansen: 109 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Rebuilt | 2006 |
| Architect | Samuel Crowen |
| Website | |
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Biograph Theater
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 Location in Chicago
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Built | 1915 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000934 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1984 |
The Biograph Theater is a famous building in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, Illinois. It started as a movie theater in 1914. Today, it hosts live plays. The Biograph is well-known because of an event that happened there in 1934. A famous bank robber, John Dillinger, was leaving the theater when FBI agents stopped him. The theater is now a protected historic site. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and became a Chicago Landmark in 2001.
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The Biograph Theater's Story
The Biograph Theater was designed by an architect named Samuel N. Crowen in 1914. It looked like many movie theaters from that time. It had a narrow lobby, a hidden entrance, a ticket booth that stood alone, and a large sign called a marquee. The building is made of red bricks and white, shiny terra cotta.
A Famous Day in 1934
On July 22, 1934, John Dillinger went to the Biograph Theater. He watched a movie called Manhattan Melodrama with two friends, Anna Sage and Polly Hamilton. When they left the theater, FBI agents were waiting. The agents were led by Melvin Purvis. Anna Sage had shared information with the FBI. Dillinger tried to get away, but the agents stopped him outside the theater.
From Movies to Live Plays
For many years, the Biograph Theater was a popular movie house. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was famous for its midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fans would dress up and enjoy the movie together.
In 2004, after 90 years as a movie theater, a group called Victory Gardens Theater bought the Biograph. They wanted to turn it into a place for live plays. The theater was completely updated by architect Daniel P. Coffey. He added a new stage and seats for 299 people. A beautiful old staircase was fixed up. It leads to the second floor, which has another small theater and a space for rehearsals.
The project cost $11 million and was finished in 2006. The new theater is called Victory Gardens at the Biograph. The main stage is about 30 feet deep and 32 feet wide. It has space on the sides for actors to wait. There is also a special area under the stage. Behind the stage are two dressing rooms and a green room for actors. The lobby is now wider, and the restrooms are larger.
The Biograph in Movies
The Biograph Theater has also been in movies. For the 2009 film Public Enemies, the front of the theater was changed to look exactly like it did in 1934. The theater also appears in the 2000 film High Fidelity.
Images for kids
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The Biograph Theater in June 2007
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1934 FBI photo of the Biograph
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The Biograph Theater in 2008, made to look like it did in 1934 for the film Public Enemies.
