RKO Grand Theatre
119 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60602
119 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60602
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Brothers J.A. Hamlin and L.B. Hamlin bought the Foley’s Billiard Hall property in January 1872 and erected the ornate building with an additional building at the east end as a garden with fountains, waterfalls and stages, reconstructed in September 1878 as Hamlins’ Theater, soon sold to John Borden in 1880, then to his son William Borden, who after more reconstruction opened it on September 6, 1880 as the Grand Opera House under the management of John A. Hamlin. It opened by Hoey & Hardy’s Company in an adaptation of the play “A Child of the State,” followed by Tom Keene in a Shakespearian repertory, and hosted the first production of two hit musicals aimed at children and in June of 1902, the original production of The Wizard of Oz premiered there. In June 1903 came the premiere of Victor Herbert’s “Babes in Toyland”.
The Grand Opera House was built as a legitimate theatre and had seating for 1,750 in an orchestra floor, balcony, and gallery. The interior was lit by gas and described by the Chicago Daily Tribune as having “the beautiful blending of rich colors, and the graceful elegance of the designs charms the eye at every point."
On March 3rd, 1912, George M. Cohan and partner Sam H. Harris leased the theatre and renamed it “George M. Cohan’s Grand Opera House”. In 1926 the façade and auditorium were reconstructed by Andrew Rebori, and it reopened as the Four Cohans. Later the Shuberts took over and it became the Shubert Grand Opera House, but it soon returned to its original name Grand Opera House. When films began, the theatre was renamed the RKO Grand. In March, 1958 the RKO Grand closed, and was demolished a month later. The Chicago Civic Center was later constructed on the site, now the Richard J. Daley Center.
Among those who played the Grand over the years: Lionel Barrymore, Arthur Byron, Mady Christians, George M. Cohan, Constance Collier, Katharine Cornell, Dudley Digges, Robert Edeson, Leon Errol, Douglas Fairbanks, Walter Hampden, Miriam Hopkins, Allan Jones, Bert Lahr, Eva Le Gallienne, Canada Lee, the Marx Brothers, Chester Morris, Mildred Natwick, Effie Shannon, and Ethel Waters. (Thanks to Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.)
BANDIT SHOOTS
THEATER MAN, FIRES AT COP
Loop Crowd Sees Gun Battle
Roy Bogan, 39, of 8918 Blackstone av., assistant manager of the RKO Grand Theater at 119 N. Clark st., was shot above the heart by a holdup man late yesterday afternoon.
The bandit escaped in a gun battle with police during the evening rush hour in the Loop.
Bogan was taken to St. Luke’s hospital, where physicians said his condition is not serious. A 32 caliber bullet which passed thru Bogan’s body was found imbedded in the door of the ticket cage, fronting on the sidewalk where the shooting occurred.
Dares Bandit to Shoot
Bogan had relieved a woman ticket seller at the window only a few moments before the gunman walked up and demanded all the money in the cage.
“No.” Bogan told him.
“I’ll shoot you,” the gunman threatened.
“Go ahead,” Bogan told him.
The gunman fired and fled. Bogan turned sidewise as the shot was fired, the bullet passing diagonally thru the upper part of his chest.
Patrolman Joseph Ostermann, riding a three wheeled motorcycle, heard the shot at Clark and Washington sts. He arrived at the theater just in time to see the gunman dart into an alley north of the theater and run east.
Gunman Fires at Cop
As Ostermann reached the mouth of the alley, the gunman turned and fired two shots at him. Ostermann fired two shots in return, abandoned his motorcycle, and took up the chase on foot.
The gunman fled east to Dearborn st., south to Washington, and then turned east. He was reported to have fled into the basement of the Hillman store, but a search there by police disclosed no trace of him.
Miss Betty Talbott, an usherette at the theater, was the first to reach Bogan after the shooting. He was taken to St. Luke’s hospital by Detectives James Nihill and Harry Gazzola of the cartage detail in their squad car.
Wrecking Crews Give Final Show at RKO Grand Theater
CHICAGO - Chicago’s RKO Grand theater is having its grand finale at the hands of a wrecking crew.
The site on Clark Street, across from the County Building, will become a parking lot. Thus ends a theater tradition that dates back to 1860 when Thomas Barbour Bryan built an auditorium.
Known as Bryan’s Hall, it was taken over by R. M. Hooley in 1870 for minstrel shows.
In 1871, it was partly destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire.
Rebuilt, it became the Grand Opera House. Then in 1873 it became Hamlin’s beer garden and in 1878 Hamlin’s Opera House.
In 1903, just around the corner on Randolph Street, the Iroquois Theater fire claimed 602 lives.
George M. Cohan and Sam Harris bought the theater in 1912 and named it Cohan’s Opera House. In 1926, it became Four Cohans' Theater.
This era in the 20’s brought Katherine Cornell to its stage.
Ziegfield’s Follies, Earl Carroll’s Vanities and George M. Cohan made seasonal appearances.
By 1942, the legitimate theater - Chicago’s first of any consequence - was converted into a movie house.
It then became The RKO Grand until a few weeks ago when the Harvey Wrecking Co., was billed on the marquee as the Grand’s last act and swiftly went about the business of turning the theater to rubble and memories. (4/25/58)
The Explore Chicago Collections link is now dead. But I was able to add one 1946 photo to the gallery.
Broan, the photo of the 4 Cohans conversion is the Ridge Theatre up North. The ECC link must have switched it out.
Here is a photo during the 4 Cohans conversion. Here is is as the Grand Opera House. Here and Here as the RKO Grand.
Thanks to all who shared photos of the RKO Grand. In one of the pics, the marquee states OPEN ALL NIGHT AND ALL DAY. Just like the Clark theatre- about 1 block away, and, around the corner on Randolph- the Woods theatre (MIDNIGHT SHOWS EVERY NIGHT TO 6 A.M.) Back when downtown Chicago was busy almost 24/7.
When i was young during the WWII, i went to The Grand to see Guadalcanal Diary, i saw that film 13 times at 13 different theatres, the first being the Grand. I guess you could say i loved the movie.
Thanks for sharing that great pic, Bryan. Never got the chance to attend the Grand as a kid ; never saw the outside. (The photo I saw at the Corner Bakery Cafe doesn’t count…yours is much better). And now I know where “RED PLANET MARS” opened first run! lol…Thanks again.
There was a small photo of the marquee in Boxoffice, March 1947:
http://tinyurl.com/yedajw2
http://bit.ly/30YNu6 – Photo of demoliition
Cliches come to life, from the LA Times on November 24, 1909:
FIRE PANIC AVERTED
CHICAGO, Nov. 23 – Fire in a hotel adjacent to the Grand Operahouse tonight caused the audience to leave the theater. A panic in the theater was averted by theater employees stopping a policeman, who ran into the building shouting “Fire, fire, there’s a fire in the building”.
On Wednesday, Christmas Day, 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life” had it’s Chicago premiere at the RKO Grand Theatre.
Good catch, Warren. It was indeed the Grand Theatre in its first year as a movie house, 1942-1943.
To markdereng: If you live in the Chicago area, or ever vacation here, check out the Corner Bakery Cafe on Randolph just west of Dearborn street. On the east wall of the restaurant, you will find a rather small black and white photo of the RKO Grand. Looks like it was closed at the time; there is nothing on the marquee. There are many other photos of downtown movie theatres in the place, from the 1920s through the 1960s. The Grand played many westerns.On Saturday, Feb. 16, 1957, Robert Wagner was in the lobby to promote his film “THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES”. The co-feature was “THE DESPERADOS ARE IN TOWN”. This information comes from the Chicago Sun Times movie directory, Friday Feb. 15, 1957.
The building was built in 1872, by the Hamlin family, originally snake-oil salesmen. The site had been a theater since 1860, called Beyan’s Hall, renamed Hooley’s Opera House in 1870 and then the Coliseum before falling in the Grat Chicago Fire. In 1873 the theater was added, originally a 30-table billiard hall. 1874 the billiard hall was enlarged and altered into an amusement hall with fountains, waterfalls, and refreshments; in 1878 it was converted into a theater proper, called Hamlin’s; following further renovations in 1880 by Adler and Sullivan, completely redecorating and partially rebuilding, it became the Grand Opera House; it was leased by the famed George M. Cohan in 1912; in 1926 following extensive modernizations by architect A.N. Rebori it was to become “The Four Cohans”, but a covenant in the lease said that whatever name it would tak had to include “Grand Opera House” and so for six months it was “The Four Cohans Grand Opera House” before being named back as Cohan’s Grand Opera House, later passing to the Shuberts; it became the RKO Grand in 1942, closed in March 1958 and was demolished the next month.
There is a picture on Corbis. Search http://pro.corbis.com/default.aspx for U204954INP
The RKO Grand, as the Grand Opera House, is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide. The managers are F.R.Hamlin and H.L. Hamlin. The seating capacity is given as 1,700 (but that figure may have included standees). The proscenium opening was 35 feet wide x 33 feet high. The stage was 42 feet deep and the theatre was located on the first floor.
I recall reading somewhere that the original 1880 structure was either an Adler & Sullivan OR Dankmar Adler solo. Can anyone substantiate this?
In July 1940 the house hosted pre-Broadway tryout of “Hold On To Your Hats” which was Al Jolson’s final appearance in a stage musical. It co-starred his estranged wife, Ruby Keeler. Reportedly, they were at each others throats the entire time Keeler remained with the show.
Does anyone know if one DECENT photo or sketch of this theatre exists?
There are some comments about the RKO Grand on pages 198-99, and 214 of “The National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America” by Karyl Lynn Zietz published in 1996 by John Wiley & Sons. The one point I disagree with is that the author states that the Grand was demolished on March 31, 1958 which I believe was probably the closing date. The book contains a great deal of interesting information, and the author also wrote a guide to opera houses in western Europe. The Grand is also mentioned in the bio “Fred Stone” by Armond Fields (McFarland, 2002). The vaudeville and musical comedy star Fred Stone originated the role of the Scarecrow in the original stage version of “The Wizard of Oz” and the book details how he perfected the role while playing at the Grand in the summer of 1902. The book states that curious kids would gather outside his dressing room window at the Grand to watch him get into his Scarecrow makeup and costume.
The family name of the brothers who managed the Grand in the early 20th Century is spelled “Hamlin” not “Hamilin”. Fred Hamlin was quite well known during that period as a show producer.
THe RKO Grand was remodeled in the 1940s by Roy B. Blass
The RKO Grand on N. Clark Street was a historic theatre. It opened in 1880 on the site of an earlier theatre and was called the Grand Opera House. It had about 1500 seats. After 1900 it was under the direction of Fred and H.L. Hamilin, theatrical managers and producers. It was the scene of the first production of two huge hit musicals aimed at children. In June 1902, the original production of “The Wizard of OZ” had its premier there. One year later, in June 1903, came the premiere of Victor Herbert’s “Babes in Toyland”. Both of these shows were big hits and ran thru the summer. (Did this theatre have an early form of air-conditioning?? – most theatres then closed for the summer.) I believe it later was under the management of the actor/producer George M. Cohan. It became a RKO movie house later (by 1941?). It closed around 1958. I understand that it was not demolished until long after it closed.
Address: 119 N Clark St
Demolished many years ago. Now the site of the Daley Civic Center.