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 big building in Chicago, Illinois. It used to be a movie theater called the Gateway Theatre. It has 1,852 seats and is now part of a larger cultural center. You can find it in the Jefferson Park area of Chicago.
The old Gateway Theater was designed by a famous architect named Mason Rapp. His company, Rapp and Rapp, was known for designing fancy theaters all over the United States. This theater is special because it's the only "atmospheric theater" designed by them that is still standing in Chicago. An atmospheric theater is designed to make you feel like you're outdoors, often with stars and clouds projected on the ceiling.
Contents
History of the Center
Opening Day Excitement
The Gateway Theater first opened its doors on June 27, 1930. It was a huge event for the Jefferson Park neighborhood! There were celebrations all week long, ending with a giant parade. Newspapers in Chicago wrote about the opening. One paper even called it "the most acoustically perfect theatre in the world." This meant the sound was amazing inside.
The architects really focused on making the sound perfect. This was important because "talking pictures" (movies with sound) were new. The Gateway Theater was a great place to watch these new movies.
Art and Movies
The main hall and lobby of the theater had beautiful hand-painted designs. A famous Chicago artist named Louis Grell painted scenes of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.
At first, theaters often had live shows called vaudeville along with movies. But when "talkies" became popular, the Gateway Theater decided to focus only on movies. They built a special small stage just for the screen and speakers. They thought if talkies were just a fad, they could easily change it back. But talkies became the new normal, and silent movies stopped being made by 1932.
For over 50 years, the Gateway was a very popular movie theater. It was part of the big Balaban and Katz movie chain. Many famous Hollywood stars like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, and John Wayne appeared on its screen. In 1973, the theater was packed every week when it showed the movie The Exorcist. About 45,000 people came to see it each week!
Becoming the Copernicus Center
In 1977, people started looking for a place to create a Polish Cultural Center in Chicago. They chose the old Gateway Theater building in 1979. The Gateway Theater was special because it was the first movie theater in Chicago built just for "talkies." So, the Copernicus Foundation decided to keep the theater itself. They remodeled the rest of the building around it. They added three floors of offices, meeting rooms, and classrooms. This first part was finished in 1981.
In 1985, a tall structure 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. You can see it when you drive by on the Kennedy Expressway. People donated money to build it. That year, the Copernicus Foundation took over the theater. It started serving the Polish American community and other groups, as well as local organizations in Jefferson Park.
Since 1988, the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra has practiced and performed there. They have concerts three times a year.
The Center Today
Today, the theater has been cleaned up and improved. It now has a thrust stage, which means the stage sticks out into the audience. The Copernicus Center is used for many different kinds of events. It's not just for the Polish community. Other groups, like those from East India, Spain, Korea, and the Philippines, use it too. The American community also uses the center.
You can see many things at the theater, like:
- Musical concerts
- Plays
- Dance shows
- Children's plays
- Choir competitions
- Meetings for political candidates
More and more people know about the theater now. The Copernicus Center theater is used almost all year, about 48 weeks. Weekends are the busiest times. The shows and events have become more advanced and serve many more people. The theater can seat 1,890 people.
Getting There
The Copernicus Center is easy to reach. It's just one block west of the Lawrence Avenue exit from the Kennedy Expressway. You can also get there by public transport. The Blue Line train stops at the Jefferson Park station. The Metra Union Pacific/Northwest commuter train also stops at Jefferson Park.
See also
- Balaban and Katz
- Theatre in Chicago
- History of Chicago
- Culture of Chicago
- Poles in Chicago
- Polonia
- Polish-Americans
