Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre
24 West Randolph Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
24 West Randolph Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
36 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1926 on the site of the tragic Iroquois (later the Colonial) Theatre, and seating over 3,200, this was Balaban & Katz' first new Loop movie palace since the opening of the Chicago Theatre in 1921. Opening day at the Oriental Theatre included popular bandleader Paul Ash (who moved to the Oriental from B & K’s McVickers) presenting two musical reviews “Insultin' the Sultan” and “Harem-Scarem”. Movies with Joan Crawford and Harry Langdon were the first two to appear on the screen. Originally, ushers and other B & K employees wore costumes inspired by the “Arabian Nights”.
The Oriental Theatre, which stands on Randolph Street between State and Dearborn Streets, was for many years, in addition to live stage shows and movies, also one of Chicago’s premier destinations for live jazz performances by many of the greats of the era, including frequent performer Duke Ellington.
The Oriental Theatre thrived through the 1960’s, but by the late-1970’s, however, the Loop was no longer the entertainment destination of earlier decades, and the Oriental Theatre, like many of the other movie palaces downtown, was reduced to B-grade action and kung-fu films attended for the most part by young people. It was closed on January 3, 1980 (having last been run by the Kohlberg Theatres chain), the Loop and the theater’s fortunes had fallen into disarray. For several years, an electronics store operated in the lobby space of the Oriental Theatre while the remainder of the theater was disued.
Shuttered for over 15 years, the Oriental Theatre was magnificently restored to its original exotic and over-the-top Indian-Indochinese style appearance in 1996 and reopened in 1998 as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre. The theater is now host to live Broadway stage productions.
The Oriental Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 207 comments)
A circa-late 70s view of the Oriental can be seen here.
Here is a 1945 night view of the Oriental seen from the corner of State and Randolph Streets.
Thanks for posting that picture btkrefft. My father worked as a musician at the Sherman House Hotel in the background, right around this same time after WWII. First as a trombone player, then on upright bass after big band faded out. He played in the Del Rainy Trio, and once played with Stan Kenton. He met my mom in 1954. She was a showgirl at the Silver Frolics at Kinzie & Wabash. He later went on to compose the Miller High Life theme, which got his foot in the door of Chicago industrial film.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jarchie/3553050290/in/set-72157618596556846/ 1964 view
Here is a view of the ornament.
Here is a nice overall view of the building
Here is a 1951 view of Randolph Street showing the Oriental Theater marquee. The massive vertical sign has been taken down by this time, but the steel support beams can still be seen sticking out of the facade of the building (as are those of the United Artists Theater across the street).
I can recall seeing one of the last combination stage/movie performances at the Oriental. Can’t remember the year but i do remember the star singing on the stage was a man named Don Cherry.
A pre-restoration view of the exterior of the Oriental can be seen here.
Here is 1958 view of Randolph Street, with the Oriental in the background and Allgauer’s Heidelberg restaurant in the foreground.