Copernicus Center (Chicago, Illinois) facts for kids
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| Address | Chicago, Illinois United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°58′05″N 87°45′31″W / 41.968096°N 87.758631°W |
| Owner | Copernicus Foundation |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 27, 1930 |
| Architect | Rapp and Rapp |
The Copernicus Center is a special building in Chicago, Illinois. It used to be a huge movie theater called the Gateway Theatre. This theater had 1,852 seats! Today, it's a cultural center in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. You can find it at 5216 W. Lawrence Avenue.
A famous architect named Mason Rapp designed the Gateway Theatre. His company, Rapp and Rapp, was known for building fancy theaters all over the United States. Some of their other famous theaters in Chicago include the Chicago, Oriental, and Palace Theatres. The Gateway Theatre is special because it's the only "atmospheric theatre" designed by Rapp that is still standing in Chicago. An atmospheric theater makes you feel like you're outdoors, under a starry sky!
History of the Center
A Grand Opening
The Gateway Theatre first opened its doors on June 27, 1930. There were big celebrations in the area for a whole week before the opening. A huge parade, sponsored by local businesses, was the main event. Newspapers in Chicago wrote about the opening. The Chicago Herald-Examiner even said it was "the most acoustically perfect theatre in the world."
The main hall and foyer had beautiful ceilings and walls. A famous Chicago artist named Louis Grell painted them by hand. He created amazing scenes with Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.
For more than 50 years, the Gateway Theatre was a very important movie theater. It was the main theater for the Balaban and Katz movie chain. They showed movies that had just come out in downtown Chicago.
Becoming a Cultural Center
In 1977, people started looking for a place to create a Polish Cultural Center in Chicago. In 1979, they began work at the old Gateway Theater Building. This building is located near Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues.
The Copernicus Foundation decided to keep the theater itself because it was historically important. They built new parts around it. They divided the original 40-foot lobby. Then they added three floors of offices, meeting rooms, and classrooms for the Cultural Center. This first part of the project was finished in 1981.
In 1985, a special tower called the "Solidarity Tower" was built on top of the building. The outside of the building was changed to look like the historic Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland. People driving on the Kennedy Expressway can see it. That same year, the Copernicus Foundation took over running the Gateway Theatre. It opened its doors to the Polish American community and other groups. It also welcomed Jefferson Park community organizations. It has been serving these groups ever since.
Since 1988, the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra has been the official orchestra that plays at the center. The orchestra practices there every week. They also perform concerts three times a year.
How to Get There
The Copernicus Center is easy to reach. It is just one block west of the Lawrence Avenue exit from the Kennedy Expressway. You can also get there by public transportation. The Blue Line train stops at the Jefferson Park station. The Metra Union Pacific/Northwest commuter rail line also has a stop at Jefferson Park.
See also
- Balaban and Katz
- Theatre in Chicago
- History of Chicago
- Culture of Chicago
- Poles in Chicago
- Polonia
- Polish-Americans
