The Chicago Theater

Category: Theater-Opera

The opening of the Chicago Theatre on October 26, 1921, heralded the appearance of the largest and most lavish movie palace in Chicago. The Chicago Theatre was a luxurious motion picture palace and stage show theater. The auditorium is seven stories high, more than one half of a city block wide, and nearly as long. The vertical sign "C-H-I-C-A-G-O" and the current marquee are landmarks in themselves, as is the 29-rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ.

In the 1970s, The Chicago Theatre was the victim of a complex web of social and economic factors causing business to sag. It became an ornate but obsolete movie house. Shortly after the theater closed in 1985, Chicago Theatre Restoration Associates, with assistance from the City of Chicago, bought and saved the theatre from demolition and began a meticulous nine-month $25 million dollar restoration. The Chicago Theatre reopened on September 10, 1986 with a glittering performance by Frank Sinatra. It now features plays, musicals, concerts and more.

The 3,605-seat Chicago Theatre remains entrenched in the hearts of the people of Greater Chicago and the Midwest, a vital part of both the history of State Street and the future of the North Loop Theatre District.

Check the Chicago Theatre website for upcoming performances.