Studebaker Theater & Playhouse Theater

I saw so many art house films here in the late 90s/early 00s including Way of the Gun, Ghost Dog, and Eve’s Bayou. I also saw Topsy Turvy, Princess Mononoke, and Dancer in the Dark (3 times!). The latter three were in the balcony of a larger theater. I was in the Studebaker recently, and initially thought it was there. Now, I think it was in the Playhouse. I’m not clear on how these theaters were carved up into smaller houses. My memory is there were 3 small theater in a rear space and one large one with a balcony.

Vintage Tribune link with multiple photos.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/01/01/vintage-the-fine-arts-building/

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

Renovation coming.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/chris-jones/ct-ent-studebaker-renovation-chicago-20210802-jlrufjf7wbavxna4fe37nsnal4-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1n-9GSz7w65upgfnYNWsVtVb8ZYHmHCyCybfE-2lB7dxC1PoBj9aRv1rc

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

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 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."

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

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

Article:

Found on Newspapers.com

I believe the Studebaker is being redeveloped into a small performing arts center. Looking forward to visiting it in the future.

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)

Name should be changed to Studebaker, status to Open