Day 305: The Crown Jewel of Chicago-Theatre Week Day 5

     In 1921, the city was in the midst of a theater-building frenzy.  The Shubert Theatre had been built in 1906, the Oriental and Palace Theatres were 5 years away from going up, and the Balaban-Katz conglomerate was filling theatres as fast as they could build them.  To accomplish their next goal, the pair enlisted the aid of Rapp & Rapp, the famed duo who had already worked on many different theaters throughout the city and country.  This was to be their first foray into the realm of Neo-Baroque French-Revival style buildings.  The arch motif on the front of the building is said to be inspired by the l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  Once you make your way inside the theater, you can see the coat of arms of the Balaban-Katz chain laid into a Tiffany stained glass window. Much like the Palace Theatre would be 5 years later, the main lobby took inspiration from Versailles.  Many of the accessories were supplied by Marshall Field & Company.  The main centerpiece at the opening was the Grande Wurlitzer pipe organ, which had arrived in July of 1921.

     After spending $4 Million, the theater was finally ready to open up on October 26, 1921.  The 3,880 seat theater was stuffed to the gills for its entire opening week, as Chicagoans rushed to see what had been labeled the "Wonder Theatre of the World".  The throngs were so impressive that mounted police were needed to maintain order(or was that to maintain disorder?), as was depicted in the Chicago Tribune's account of the opening, reported upon by a reporter named Carl Sandburg.  One of the biggest draws that the new theatre had?  Air Conditioning.  Aside from the new and unusual world of A/C, the other claim to fame of the venue was its live jazz, which started out in September 1922 and would go on for more than 40 years.  When the 1933 World's Fair came to town, the theater was redecorated.  In 1949, the original marquee was supplemented with an additional board displaying the name of the theater, and until 1969, the names Balaban-Katz.

     The 1970s brought many different changes to the Theatre.  First off, the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ was restored in 1970.  Then, an economic downturn caused the fortunes of the venue to wane.  Eventually the venue was bought in 1984 by the Chicago Theatre Protection Group.  Attempts at re-purposing the space failed, and the theater closed in 1985.  The next year a reservation project commenced, which restored the theater to its 1930s luster.  Frank Sinatra performed at the reopening concert.  In its new life, the theatre has hosted many different events, such as the opening of the Chicago International Film Festival as well as a stop on the Beach Boys' 50th Anniversary Tour.