Chicago Theatre facts for kids
Chicago Theatre in April 2009
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| Address | 175 North State Street Chicago, Illinois 60601 |
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| Owner | Madison Square Garden Entertainment |
| Capacity | 3,600 |
| Current use | music venue |
| Opened | October 26, 1921 |
| Website | |
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Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre
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 Location in Central Chicago
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp |
| Architectural style | Neo-Baroque/Neoclassical (exterior); French Baroque (Neo-Baroque)(interior) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000822 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 6, 1979 |
The Chicago Theatre, originally called the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a famous building in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. It opened in 1921. This theater was the main building for the Balaban and Katz (B&K) group of theaters. From 1925 to 1945, it was a very popular movie theater.
Today, Madison Square Garden Entertainment owns and runs the Chicago Theatre. It is a performing arts center with 3,600 seats. People come here to see stage plays, magic shows, comedy, and music concerts.
The Chicago Theatre is a very important historical building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It also became a Chicago Landmark in 1983. The theater's unique sign, called a marquee, is famous. It often appears in movies, TV shows, and photos of Chicago.
Contents
History of the Chicago Theatre
How the Theatre Began
Brothers Abe and Barney Balaban, along with Sam and Morris Katz, built the Chicago Theatre in 1921. They wanted it to be one of many grand movie theaters. It became the most important theater for their company, Balaban and Katz. They ran 28 theaters in Chicago and over 100 more in the Midwest.
The architects, Cornelius W. Rapp and George L. Rapp, designed the theater. It cost $4 million to build. This was a huge amount of money back then! The Chicago Theatre was the biggest and most expensive "super deluxe movie palace" of its time. It is now the oldest grand movie palace still standing.
The theater was built in a special style called Neo-Baroque French-revival. This style makes it look like old French palaces. The Chicago Theatre is the oldest building in Chicago with this unique design.
Inside the main hall, there were 14 large paintings by Chicago artist Louis Grell. These paintings showed romantic French scenes. Later, for the 1933 World's Fair, Grell repainted them with Greek and Roman gods. You can still see these paintings today.
A "Wonder Theatre"
When the Chicago Theatre opened on October 26, 1921, it had 3,880 seats. It was called the "Wonder Theatre of the World." Huge crowds came to see the first movie, The Sign on the Door. They also enjoyed a 50-piece orchestra and a famous organist named Jesse Crawford playing the huge Wurlitzer organ. There were live stage shows too.
A writer named Carl Sandburg said that police on horseback were needed to control the crowds! The theater offered a fancy place to watch movies and great service. It was one of the first theaters to use air conditioning. This idea became popular across the country.
For 40 years, the Chicago Theatre showed new movies and live shows. Many famous performers appeared there. It was especially known for live jazz music. Balaban and Katz even had special "Syncopation Week" events. Jazz bands became a regular part of the theater's shows in the 1920s and 1930s.
In the 1950s, the theater stopped having live stage shows. This was part of a change in how theaters operated.
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Changes and Closure
In the 1970s, fewer people came to the theater. It became harder to keep it open. In 1983, the theater started having stage shows again. Famous performers like Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra came to perform.
In 1984, a group bought the theater. They tried to keep it as a movie theater, but it was difficult. The Chicago Theatre closed on September 19, 1985. The last movies shown there were American Ninja and Teen Wolf.
Saving the Theatre
After it closed, a group worked to save the Chicago Theatre. They spent $9 million to fix it up. The goal was to make it look like it did in the 1930s. The theater reopened on September 10, 1986, with a performance by Frank Sinatra. This was a big moment for preserving old buildings. Sinatra had performed there in the 1950s, so his return was special.
The theater's restoration helped bring new life to the North Loop/Theatre District in Chicago.
The Theatre Today
In 2004, a company called TheatreDreams Chicago bought the building. Later, in 2007, Madison Square Garden Entertainment bought it.
Before 2008, the Chicago Theatre hosted the opening film of the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2005, Mayor Richard M. Daley declared July 12 "Roger Ebert Day in Chicago." A special plaque was placed under the marquee to honor the famous movie critic.
The theater's tall "CHICAGO" sign now includes the name of Chase Bank to show their sponsorship. The famous marquee has been in many movies and TV shows set in Chicago. Its unique neon letters were even used in the title of the 2002 movie Chicago.
Architecture and Design
The Chicago Theatre is a very tall building, seven stories high. It takes up almost half of a city block. The front of the building on State Street looks like a giant triumphal arch, similar to the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Inside the arch, there is a round Tiffany stained glass window. It shows the symbol of the Balaban and Katz theaters: two horses holding film ribbons. The outside of the building is covered in a special off-white material called architectural terracotta. It has fancy Neo-Baroque designs.
The inside of the theater looks like a French palace from the Second French Empire. The main lobby is five stories tall. It has balconies and walkways, just like the Royal Chapel at Versailles in France. The grand staircase is like the one in the Paris Opera House. It leads up to the different seating levels.
The theater has beautiful crystal chandeliers and bronze lights. These were specially designed for the building.
The stage is very large, over 60 feet wide and 30 feet deep. There is also an orchestra pit where musicians can play.
The Famous Marquee
The Chicago Theatre's marquee (the big sign outside) has been changed a few times. The first sign in 1921 was simple. The second one, from 1922-23, was very fancy with flashing lights and swirls. It also had "CHICAGO" in big letters.
The sign was updated again in 1949. The current marquee, put up in 1994, looks similar to the older, fancy ones. In 2004, the original marquee was given to the Smithsonian Institution because it is so important.
The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
The theater is also famous for its huge Wurlitzer pipe organ. When it was first put in, it was called "The Mighty Wurlitzer." This organ could make sounds like all the instruments in an orchestra!
Jesse Crawford, a well-known organ player, helped design the organ and choose its sounds. This amazing organ was installed in July 1921. It has four keyboards and 26 sets of pipes. It is one of the oldest "Mighty Wurlitzers" that still exists today.
