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Lyric Opera of Chicago
20 N. Wacker Drive,
Chicago,
IL
60606
2 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Lyric Opera of Chicago (Official)
Additional Info
Firms: Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
Functions: Concerts, Movies (Classic), Opera House
Styles: Art Deco, Art Nouveau
Previous Names: Civic Opera House
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
312.827.5600
Nearby Theaters
The Civic Opera House was opened on November 4, 1929, just six days after the Stock Market crash. The opening production was the opera “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi. The huge block long building has a 45-story office tower and two 22-story wings. The north end of the building contains the Civic Theatre which has been used for films, plays (Tennessee Williams' “The Glass Menagerie” had its World Premiere here), dance performances and also had some use as a television studio.
The Civic Opera House has 3,563-seats, located in orchestra, Mezzanine with 31 boxes, dress circle and upper balcony.
On January 14, 2025, there was a ‘first’ event at the Lyric Opera of Chicago when it screened its first movie. Gene Kelly in “Singing in the Rain” was screened to the accompaniment of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. The performance was repeated on February 7, 2025
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Civic Opera House opened its doors on November 4, 1929, with the live performance of “Aida”, starring Chase Baromeo and Charles Marshall, just 6 days after the Stock Market crash and the start of the Great Depression.
On November 30, 1948, the Civic Opera House was renamed the Lyric Theatre of Chicago due to Kemper Insurance buying the theater with an estimate $10,700,000. That same year, the Civic was leased to WENR-TV (now WLS-TV) as its main television studio for several local programs.
In 1956, the Lyric Theatre was renamed the Lyric Opera Of Chicago, and the Civic reopened in 1959 as an legitimate playhouse. The Lyric Opera of Chicago once closed in 1967 due to a musicians strike but reopened the following year.
In 1972, a performance by the Moiseyev Dance Company were interrupted by smoke bombs, and in 1973, a stage fire destroyed the entire stage, causing an estimate $23,000 in damages. The famous 7,000 pound hydraulically operating curtain suffered damage but survived the fire.
In May 1983, the Kemper Insurance Building was sold to Dino J. D’Angelo, and the original Civic Opera House name was reinstated. That same exact year, the Civic Center for Performing Arts was founded.
Cool addition. Timely!