Studebaker Theater & Playhouse Theater
410 S. Michigan Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60605
410 S. Michigan Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60605
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 113 comments
Vintage Tribune link with multiple photos.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/01/01/vintage-the-fine-arts-building/
I saw On Golden Pond with Janet Gaynor there in the…..80’s? Only time I was in that theater. I’ve been in The Studebaker for live theater and later movies. Glad it’s been reopened and opened again! ❤️
Status is now Open. “Skates A New Musical" is running through August 28, 2022. Link about the newly renovated Studebaker Theater below. Same article as the Sun-Times minus the paywall.
https://darik.news/michigan/inside-the-lalit-kala-bhavan-the-125-year-old-studebaker-theater-is-reborn/202205632200.html
From the Fine Arts Building Facebook page.
Do you have a story about the Fine Arts Building? We want to hear it.
We are collecting memories and personal histories from the visitors, artists, staff and Fine Arts Building aficionados that have made this space shine for more than 100 years. Follow the link to share your memories of the Fine Arts Building, the Studebaker Theater and the last 100 years of this magnificent artistic haven.
https://www.facebook.com/chicagofineartsbuilding/photos/a.108102601704549/119859900528819/
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Hw98R-bpY7j1lL5bmWQ9m1JDy6pdjrytm782xRoZ3cY/viewform?edit_requested=true&fbclid=IwAR3RE3lRX4g4WYS61-fdS-UHHJWUVtz7C5kiSKfyS8f-zwBWEZCmYoprbMY
Renovation coming.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/chris-jones/ct-ent-studebaker-renovation-chicago-20210802-jlrufjf7wbavxna4fe37nsnal4-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1n-9GSz7w65upgfnYNWsVtVb8ZYHmHCyCybfE-2lB7dxC1PoBj9aRv1rc
Another 1885 photo, enlargeable within Flickr link.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/3678911482?fbclid=IwAR03fDKskrPrawiCWO2JzuqmgEqB2kmoMDPYpjEbhKnPqz6lcKzhJ_FwC8E
Didn’t realize their was a Shorpy link for this 1903 photo I posted previously. Click View Full Size for incredible detail.
https://www.shorpy.com/node/23258
I looked and saw this never got posted on 2018. Elevator operator in the Fine Arts Building.
https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/January-2018/The-Last-Manual-Elevator/?fbclid=IwAR0keAbS4fts9Xh3zKNr1B74LPNSdLWfiIxNEjaJbnYYHxbg3ltkOfllbO4
Newspapers from the mid 80’s have the address as 418 S. Michigan Avenue. Phone number at the time as 939-3700. (see ad in “Photo section”) Newspapers have been known to make mistakes.
From the “About” section of the new Studebaker Theater website:
The Studebaker Theater is housed in the historic Fine Arts Building
In 1898, The Fine Arts Building created the historic The Studebaker Theater. Originally built to house vaudevillian performances, but later expanded into large productions in the 1920’s. During the subsequent years, performances by Bob Hope, Peter O’Toole, and Vincent Price graced the stage with their immense theatrical skills. The Studebaker Theater continued on throughout the years for being known as one of the most important live theatrical venues in the City of Chicago.
In the 1970’s, the city underwent a downturn in live theater attendance and The Studebaker was converted into four separate motion picture cinemas. Eventually in the year 2000, The Studebaker was closed entirely. In 2005, The Fine Arts Building, which houses the Studebaker Theater, underwent new ownership. Renovations to restore The Studebaker finally began in 2015.
Today, The Studebaker Theater, which holds 740 seats, reopened for live performances in 2016.
Source: https://www.studebakertheater.com/about
From The Chicago Tribune Koopman returns, and the Studebaker is back in the concert business March 10, 2016
(Discussion of the return of harpsichordist Ton Koopman to Chicago..then the following)
“That said, the event was most notable for being the first major concert to take place in decades at the Studebaker Theater, a historic gem of 1898 vintage that once was a flourishing recital hall (Hermann Prey and Regine Crespin sang here) but has been shuttered for two decades.
The mid-sized venue, modeled after a typical small European opera house, has recently undergone a major renovation by the building’s management and is nearly ready to serve as an additional venue for classical music on the cultural mile of South Michigan Avenue. Such a venue has long been needed, and it’s heartening to know that Chicago classical presenters soon will be setting up shop in this inviting space. From Tony to Chick to Ramsey, a jazzy summer at Ravinia
Audience members were expected to ignore the bare stage house and the lack, as yet, of a functioning air-conditioning system. (Free water bottles were provided.) There was an awkward delay for the stage lighting to be adjusted to enable Mathot to properly see the printed music in front of her. A more serious problem, from the listeners' perspective, was the skimpy program leaflet, devoid as it was of information about the music or the harpsichords on which the Koopmans were performing.
On the positive side, the Studebaker’s clear acoustics, intimate sightlines and comfortable seats made it an appropriately intimate place in which to perform and hear 17th and 18th century keyboard works. It was good to have Koopman back in Chicago, where he last conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2012. His local appearances go back at least as far as 1992 when he brought his famed Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra to town."
Timelapse Video of the Studebaker Theater Rehab here: https://youtu.be/z21K_vRjtT0
Companion photo to the one I added to the Photos Section. But the year is 1913, not 1910 as the link below states.
https://explore.chicagocollections.org/image/chicagohistory/71/t43jb26/?fbclid=IwAR3yJW1uGyE01l96nKVND9R0xHnWXHqETCJ4Nhn8oaBIeQftLaXYU7pTwP8
1885 photo as the Studebaker Building added via Raymond Kunst. Also Chicagology link below.
https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage033/
Link about the Fine Arts Building.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/recording-the-sights-and-sounds-of-chicagos-fine-arts-building?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page
Rivest266, the Woods article re-posted here.
Article:
Found on Newspapers.com
April 29th, 1933 and December 25th, 1982 grand opening ads in the photo section.
I believe the Studebaker is being redeveloped into a small performing arts center. Looking forward to visiting it in the future.
I don’t think the Playhouse is open.
Here’s a direct link to the article at afterthefinalcurtain.net (referenced two comments above):
http://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2015/10/01/studebaker-theatre/
From that article it looks like in fact both theatres have been restored and reopened (What are now called the Studebaker and the Playhouse)
1915 photo added courtesy of Jori Sobery Curry.
Name should be changed to Studebaker, status to Open
Incredibly, in 1917 the Studebaker was closed only 5 weeks for renovations. http://archive.org/stream/exhibitorstra00newy#page/710/mode/1up
Current piece on the Studebaker with great current photos. Copy and paste to view.
http://afterthefinalcurtain.net/