Civic Opera House (Chicago) facts for kids
Auditorium, named in honor of Ardis Krainik.
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| Address | 20 North Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois United States |
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| Type | Opera house |
| Capacity | 3,276 seats (formerly 3,563) |
| Opened | November 4, 1929 |
The Civic Opera House is a famous opera house located in Chicago, Illinois. It's sometimes called the Lyric Opera House by mistake. This amazing building is at 20 North Wacker Drive.
The main stage inside, called the Ardis Krainik Auditorium, has 3,276 seats. This makes it the second-largest opera hall in North America! Only the Metropolitan Opera House in New York is bigger.
The Civic Opera House was built for the Chicago Civic Opera. Since 1954, it has been the home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. More recently, in 2021, the Joffrey Ballet also moved in. The opera house is part of a larger building complex. This complex includes a 45-story office tower and two 22-story wings. The whole Civic Opera Building opened on November 4, 1929. It features beautiful Art Deco designs.
Contents
History of the Opera House
Building the Grand Opera House
A man named Samuel Insull had a big idea to build a new opera house. He wanted it to be the home for the Chicago Civic Opera. He hired a team of designers to make his dream come true. People sometimes say the building looks like a giant chair. Because of this, it's sometimes called "Insull's Throne" or "Insull's Folly."
Insull chose the architecture firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. This firm designed many buildings in downtown Chicago Loop. These include the Art Deco Merchandise Mart. They also designed the former Morton Salt headquarters next door.
Art and Stone Details
The architects asked Henry Hering to create sculptures for the building. This was something they often did for their projects. The outside of the building is made from Indiana limestone. This stone came all the way from Bedford, Indiana. A team of stone carvers, led by Harry (Enrico) Liva, carved the stone.
First Performances and Renovations
The very first opera season at the Civic Opera House was special. It featured a new opera called Camille. This opera was written by Hamilton Forrest, a 28-year-old composer from Chicago. It premiered on July 15, 1929. The opera was commissioned by Mary Garden, who was a star and manager for the Civic Opera. Parts of the opera were even broadcast on the radio. The Civic Opera House is the only place where Camille has ever been performed.
The building had a big makeover in 1993. The Lyric Opera of Chicago bought the space after renting it for many years. During the renovation, the chairs were repainted and given new fabric. The old carpets were replaced with new ones. The gold paint designs were also completely redone. This huge project was finished in 1996.
Inspiration for a Famous Movie
This opera house helped inspire a building in the movie Citizen Kane. In the film, a character named Charles Foster Kane builds an opera house. He does this so his wife, who wants to be an opera singer, can perform. However, her singing shows she isn't very good.
There's a popular story that Samuel Insull built this opera house for his wife. The story says she wasn't hired by New York's Metropolitan Opera. Another version of the story says it was for his daughter. However, these stories aren't true. Samuel Insull's wife was an actress, not an opera singer. Also, Insull did not have any daughters.
The story also says the "chair" shape of the building faces west. This was supposedly a symbol of Insull turning his back on New York City. But again, this is just a fun story, not a fact.
See also
In Spanish: Civic Opera House para niños
