The Auditorium Theatre has a rich and bumpy history. On multiple occasions the theatre was in danger of being torn down, gutted or demolished. The Auditorium Building, now widely considered one of the most important buildings in Chicago history, has seen many lives in its more than 100 years. See the timeline for a detailed chronology. The Beginning: Ferdinand Peck, Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler began plans for the Auditorium Building in 1886 and on October 5, 1887, the cornerstone was laid. The Auditorium Theatre opened in 1889 and was immediately acclaimed as one of the most beautiful and functional theatres in the world. Its architectural integrity and perfect acoustics were internationally recognized. It was often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
For several years, the Auditorium Theatre, hotel and office block were used and profitable. The theatre was the first home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Opera Company. Concerts, recitals, lectures, charity balls, social gatherings and sporting events took place in the theatre. Decline and Closing: In 1893 new hotels were built all over the city for the guests of the World’s Fair. Many of these new hotels included bathrooms in every room, making the Auditorium Hotel one of the last European-Style hotels built in the city. The common bathroom made the Auditorium Hotel less desirable to the elite guests. In 1904 the Symphony moved to a new smaller home, Orchestra Hall, and the Chicago Opera Company moved to the Civic Opera House in 1929. In the early 1930s, estimates were taken to demolish the building, but the cost of the demolition was more than the land was worth. The Auditorium Theatre went bankrupt and closed in 1941.
Servicemen’s Center: In 1942, the Auditorium Building was taken over by the City of Chicago to be used as a World War II servicemen's center. The stage and front rows of the theatre were converted to a bowling alley and much of the stenciling, plasterwork and art glass was painted over. At the Auditorium Building, more than 22 million servicemen were housed, fed, and entertained between 1941 and 1945. New Life: In 1946, Roosevelt University (then in its second year) moved into the Auditorium Building. The Hotel dining room became the library and the hotel rooms and offices became classrooms, but the theatre was not restored. For many years the theatre was neglected and abandoned. Various plans to turn the theatre into a parking garage or gymnasium fortunately did not come to pass. The Auditorium Theatre Re-Opens: Through the valiant efforts of Mrs. Beatrice T. Spachner and a group of dedicated civic leaders, an independent council was formed to raise funds to restore the theatre to much of its original splendor. Prominent Chicago architect Harry M. Weese offered his services as a gift to the city. Thanks to donations of over 3 million dollars and the talents of Harry Weese and others, ornament was repaired, stencils repainted, murals cleaned, art glass uncovered and the light bulbs replaced. On October 31, 1967 the Auditorium Theatre reopened, this time with The New York City Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
"The restoration of the Auditorium marks a renaissance in Chicago cultural life...the Auditorium Theatre has returned once again to the use for which it was intended: a center for the performing arts." - Opening night program, 1967 From 1967 to 1975, the Auditorium served as Chicago's premier rock venue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975.
A Facelift: In 2001, a major restoration to return the Auditorium Theatre to its original colors and finishes began. Today: Currently, the Auditorium hosts a variety of events, from dance to music, from Broadway to rock concerts. Keeping true to Sullivan and Adler's vision, the Auditorium Theatre truly does welcome all of Chicago. The Auditorium Theatre in 1889Opening NightThe Auditorium Theatre opened on December 8, 1889. The opening was the social event of the year. Men in tuxedos and top hats and women in jeweled gowns arrived in their horse-drawn carriages and stepped into the brilliantly lit Auditorium Theatre. In attendance were President Benjamin Harrison, Vice President Levi Morton, Illinois Governor Joseph Wilson Fifer, Chicago Mayor DeWitt Clinton Cregier, the theatre's financial backers and the city’s elite. Crowds of people lined the streets waiting for a glimpse of the famous and wealthy guests. American opera star, Madam Adelina Patti, sang ‘Home Sweet Home’ to thunderous applause. “I wish that this great building may continue to be to all your population that which it should be: opening its doors from night to night, calling your people away from cares of business to those enjoyments and entertainments which develop the souls of men and inspire those whose lives are heavy with daily toil and in this magnificent and enchanted presence, lift them for a time out of dull things into those higher things where men should live.”
The People who Attended the Auditorium 1889
Ferdinand Peck was interested in creating a building for the people of Chicago- not just the elite. He asked the architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan to design a theatre that represented the democratic ideals that he strongly believed in.
Men and Women
The inglenooks, located in the dress circle lobby, are places were both men and women would often go before the performance or during intermission and were originally set off from the foyer or lobby by oak railings. Inside the inglenooks were working gas fireplaces with cast-iron "logs", foliate mosaic friezes, and long benches which were warmed by radiators underneath the cushions. "SPECIAL NOTICE- The management desire that each entertainment at the Auditorium should be made a social occasion, for which ample facilities have been provided, and the audience, especially the ladies, are requested to leave their seats during the Intermissions." - February 20, 1890 Theatre Program
The Division of the Classes Originally, Peck, Sullivan and Adler wanted no boxes at all in the theatre. Private boxes did not fit in with the inspiration of democratic ideals and a theatre for the people. The boxes in the European theatres and earlier American theatres were close to the stage and were very visible to the rest of the audience. The box seats caused a visible division of the classes- with the richest patrons in the boxes, the next on the main floor and the poorest visitors in the house in the balcony. Only after being persuaded by investors did Sullivan design the boxes to go into the theatre. Workingman or People’s Concerts at the Auditorium Entrances
When the Theatre opened in 1889, audience members did not all enter through the main doors on Congress Parkway. Audience members with seats in the top two galleries entered the through the Wabash Avenue's entrance also used for the Auditorium Building's offices. Unlike many theatres of its day, all audience members were provided with individual chairs instead of gallery benches and had privilages of the coatchecks, retiring rooms, ingelnooks and lounges. Today all patrons enter through the main doors off of Congress Parkway. Roosevelt University 1946 - Today
Roosevelt University purchased the Auditorium Building in 1946. Roosevelt was founded in 1945 as an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational institution of higher learning, a feat requiring considerable courage. The new school had no campus, no library, and no endowment. But its founders had an ideal and they were determined to make higher education available to all students who could qualify academically. Considerations of social or economic class, racial or ethnic origin, sex, or age were, and remain, irrelevant in determining who is admitted. Originally named Thomas Jefferson College, the new school was soon renamed Roosevelt College in recognition of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s democratic ideals and values. Beginning in 1994, Roosevelt University and the Auditorium Theatre Council, through which the Auditorium Theatre was restored, engaged in an eight year lawsuit regarding the ownership of the theatre. The final ruling of the Illinois Supreme Court concluded that the theatre belonged to Roosevelt University and the Auditorium was officially named The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. To find out more regarding Roosevelt University, please visit www.roosevelt.edu. National Historic LandmarkThe Auditorium Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975. In 1976, the Auditorium Building was designated a Chicago Landmark by the Chicago City Council. Previous Performers, Events and Resident CompaniesThe Auditorium Theatre has hosted many of the world’s greatest performers, productions and resident companies. Some of the highlights are listed below.
*Photos Courtesy of the Auditorium Theatre and Roosevelt University unless otherwise noted.
|
 |
top