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 Chicago, Illinois. It's located on Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. It started as a movie theater but now hosts live plays. The Biograph is well-known because a famous bank robber, John Dillinger, was shot by FBI agents right outside it on July 22, 1934. He had just watched a movie there. This historic theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also named a Chicago Landmark on March 28, 2001.
Contents
A Look Back at the Biograph Theater
Early Days and Design
The Biograph Theater was designed by an architect named Samuel N. Crowen in 1914. It has many features common to movie theaters from that time. These include a narrow lobby, a tucked-in entrance, a separate ticket booth, and a large sign called a canopy marquee. The building is made with red pressed brick and shiny white-glazed terra cotta.
The Dillinger Incident
On July 22, 1934, a famous bank robber named John Dillinger went to the Biograph Theater. He watched the film Manhattan Melodrama with two women. When he left the theater, FBI agents were waiting. The agents, led by Melvin Purvis, shot Dillinger when he tried to pull out a pistol and run into the crowd. Dillinger's location was shared with the FBI by one of the women he was with.
A New Chapter for the Biograph
From the 1970s to the 1980s, the Biograph was a popular spot for late-night movie showings. It was especially known for Rocky Horror Picture Show, which had a big following of fans who would dress up.
In July 2004, after 90 years as a movie theater, the Victory Gardens Theater group in Chicago bought the Biograph. They wanted to use it for live plays instead of movies. The theater was completely updated by architect Daniel P. Coffey. He added a special stage and seating for 299 people. A grand staircase from the original building was fixed up. This staircase leads to the second floor, which has a smaller studio theater for 135 people. There is also a space for rehearsals or other uses.
The renovation project cost $11 million. The new theater, called Victory Gardens at the Biograph, opened in the fall of 2006. The stage is about 30 feet (9 meters) deep and 32 feet (10 meters) wide. It has extra space on the sides for actors to wait. There's also an 8-foot (2.4-meter) deep trapdoor area below the stage. The lobby is now wider, and the restrooms are larger than before.
The Biograph in Movies
The outside of the Biograph Theater and the buildings next to it were changed to look like they did in 1934 for the 2009 film Public Enemies. The theater also appears in the 2000 film High Fidelity. In that movie, it's incorrectly said that the shooting with Dillinger happened inside the theater.
