Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre
24 West Randolph Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
24 West Randolph Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
37 people
favorited this theater
Showing 201 - 212 of 212 comments found
I personally don’t put any store in the anecdotes in David Naylor’s book. He doesn’t seem to have researched things very thoroughly. For example, he stated that the Fox in San Francisco was the only theatre to have an organ in its lobby. Well, that would be true if one overlooks the Roxy, and (I think) the Fox in Detroit. He also stated that the Tiffany chandelier in the Loew’s State, Syracuse was missing because it was removed during WWII due to misplaced concern regarding its fall in case of a bombing attack. In actuality the chandelier hung there until the 1970’s (I’ve seen it), when it was sold to a couple who purposely broke it up to sell it piece by piece. Mr. Naylor’s book is full of great photos, but as a source of information I don’t put a lot of stock in it.
In his book “American Picture Palaces: The Architecture of Fantasy” David Naylor relates a story about the Oriental and the the Rapps displeasure in having to design the Oriental, not at all fond of the wildly exotic style that Balaban & Katz wanted for this theater. Up until then, Rapp & Rapp’s movie houses for the circuit had been done in mostly traditional French Renaissance style (except for their Spanish Baroque Uptown Theatre). Naylor writes that the Rapp brothers were said to be so embarrassed by the results of the Oriental that when they received their tickets for the grand opening ceremonies from Balaban & Katz, they tore up the tickets.
Research the Iroquois theater. You’ll find a lot of information about it, I guarantee you. The Oriental was built on the same site.
I have a question regarding the Oriental. A teacher of mine asked us to find out what the Oriental has to do with the Fire Service. He did not really give us much to go off of so I am having a hard time finding anything. I was wondering if there was a historic Fire or anything of that nature or anything else that could help me out. thank you
I love those giant vertical signs. On 42nd Street both Loews and AMC have instlled them and they are pretty impressive.
The Oriental seated 3200 before the recent restoration/renovation.The Oriental now seats 2200 which is 1000 seats less.During the renovation the lobby was expanded into the back of the auditorium. The stage was also expanded by knocking down a building behind the backstage wall. The Oriental was a quality restoration/renovation making the theatre work for the legitimate broadway stage. It was a blessing that the theatre survived do to lack of investment in the North Loop for many years. The Loop is one of the most improved downtown districts in the United States. It is fortunate that the Loop retained two of its large downtown department stores Marshall Fields and Carson’s and Sears which left the loop in the 1970’s and returned in the 21st Century.The loop now boasts three restored movie palaces the Chicago,Oriental and Palace. The loop is the finest example of a traditional large downtown in the United States.brucec
Here is a link to recent photos of the Oriental’s auditorium.
Here is a link to a photograph dated 1932 of Randolph Street, showing the original marquees of the Oriental (right) and United Artists (left). Sadly, none of the buildings shown in this photo stand today, except for the Oriental Theatre.
Following is a link to a photograph from the mid-20s of the United Masonic Temple Building, which houses the Oriental Theatre. The smaller building to the left is the Delaware Building, which is still standing, and is today the oldest remaining building in the Loop, dating to a couple years after the Great Fire (1871). The building in the distance to the right is the old Masonic Temple Building, originally the Capitol Building (1891), by John Wellborn Root, the Loop’s first skyscraper. It was razed in 1939, and replaced with a Streamline building that housed the Telenews/Loop Theatre from 1940 until the mid-80s.
You’re right, the Iroquois/Colonial Theatre stood on the site of the present Oriental Theatre (see the listing on this site for the Colonial Theatre, Chicago for more info). However, the facade of the Oriental/Ford Center does not contain any of the old Iroquois/Colonial Building. It was completely demolished in 1925-6 to make way for the Oriental Theater and Masons Building, the office tower which is built over and around the theater.
If my history is correct, the Oriental Theater is on the same site as the infamous Iroqois Theater, which burned in 1903, and was remodelled as the Colonial. The facade of the Oriental is, partially the same as the facade of the Iroqois
I think after it closed in 1981 no one ever thought it would open again and so the theatre pipe organ was removed, but I can’t recall what happened to it? They were wrong it did reopen!