Chicago Theatre
175 N. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
175 N. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
81 people
favorited this theater
One of the grandest movie palaces ever built, this 3500 seat palace opened in 1921, the work of the firm of Rapp & Rapp, the favored architectural firm of the theater’s original operators, the Balaban & Katz chain.
The Chicago was restored in 1986 to its 1930s apperance and now hosts a mix of concerts, live entertainment, and assorted special events (like the annual Glamorama fashion show sponsored by Macy’s -formerly Marshall Field’s- and the ocassional movie screening for the Chicago International Film Festival).
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Recent comments (view all 311 comments)
Newsreel coverage of the 1945 world premiere of “The Dolly Sisters” at the Chicago Theatre can be viewed here: youtube
“Chase Chicago” can be misinterpreted since “chase” is also a verb.
I happened to be downtown Tuesday. It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I still think it’s cheap to brand a traditional symbol of the city. But that is the way things have been going in the U.S. over the last ten years, and if it gets some cash flow for the theater you can’t complain too much.
Here is a photo I took today of the Chicago Theater. You can see the small Chase logo on the marquee, which isn’t as noticeable as the one on the vertical sign, thankfully.
Thanks Tinseltoes for “The Dolly Sisters” premiere photo. That was some premiere on State st. Enjoyed the street car tracks too.
A close up view of the Chicago Theater’s facade can be seen here. I’ve never noticed the faces on the left and right of the window arch before. Drama and comedy maybe?
I am sure that that is what they are. I wish they would restore that stud lighting that used to enhance those arches. You can see that many of the bulbs and sockets are broken.
CSWalczak, that must be an old photo. Thankfully the stud lighting has been restored. I’ve seen it on with a number of bulbs burned out (it must be a pain to replace them) so I’m not sure how often they turn it on.
To see a photo of them on, go above and Click on VIEW ALL 308 COMMENTS, go to the bottom and Click on “Box” 7, go to lostmemory March 1, 2007 that has the photo.
Bob Jensen
Manteno, Illinois
Most, but not all, of this section of stud lighting works. The part around the marquee does not. The upper part does not. It’s rarely turned on.
Click here for an exterior view of the Chicago Theatre in 1930.