Tour Venue Four

Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State Street, Chicago, Illinois.

aka: Balaban & Katz Chicago Theatre

The theatre located in the Loop area of the city of Chicago was originally named after the owners Abe and Barney Balaban and Sam & Morris. It opened in 1921 as the flagship of a chain of opulent motion picture houses and was regarded as the 'Wonder Theatre of the World' (it even included the pioneering use of air conditioning!)

Architects Cornelius W Rapp and George L Rapp designed many of the theatres in the city. Their signature style was Neo-Baroque French-revival.

The building is seven storeys tall and fills one half of a city block. The sign and marquee are landmarks in themselves. The marquee has been replaced twice with additions of coloured, flashing lights and milk glass lettering. It has featured on numerous movies and TV shows set in Chicago and was used in the title of the 2002 film 'Chicago'.

There is a plaque under the marquee to honour Roger Ebert – the American film critic and historian, journalist, screenwriter and author. We was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

The vertical 'Chicago' triumphal arch motif is 60 foot (18m) by 6 story's tall. The outside also features a mini replica of Paris' Arc de Triomphe. The central arch-headed window adapts the familiar motif of Borromini's false-perspective window of the top floor of Palazzo Barberini, Rome. The coat of arms of Balaban & Katz (two horses holding ribbons of 35mm film in their mouths) is set in a circular Tiffany stained glass window inside the arch.

The grand lobby is surrounded by promenades and balconies influenced by the Royal Chapel at Versailles. The grand staircase is patterned from the stairs of the Paris Opera House. The whole interior is luxurious drapes, crystal chandeliers and lavish bronze light fixtures with Steuben glass shades.

The original interior design featured fourteen large romantic French-themed murals surrounding the proscenium by Chicago artist Louis Grell. The 1933 World Fair saw a redecoration of the theatre and the fourteen murals were enclosed and covered with Greek/Roman deities large oil on canvas murals that can still be seen today.

The 26-rank now 29-rank Wurlitzer theatre organ is known as one of the Mighty Wurlitzers still in existence.

Its first picture was 'The Sign on the Door' starring Norma Talmadge and a 50 piece orchestra performed as well as famed organist Jesse Crawford.  Guests paid 25 cents until 1pm, 35 cents in the afternoon and 50 cents after 6pm.

During its first 40 years, it presented many premiere films and live entertainment by top performers of the day.  Jazz was promoted there as early as 1922 and was so successful that jazz bands became the main attraction through the 1920s and 1930s.

It was modernised again in 1950 but economic and social change of the 1970s caused business to slow and in September 1985 it was closed, only to be restored back to its 1930s appearance and reopened in 1986. Frank Sinatra, who had appeared there in the 1950s, performed at the opening.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Place in 1979.

Notable event - Ronald Reagan announced his engagement to Jane Wyman at the theatre

Notable artists: John Phillip Sousa, Duke Ellington, Jack Benny, Benny Goodman, Kelly Clarkson, Harry Connick Jr, Ellen Degeneres, Gipsy Kings, Aretha Franklin, David Letterman, Oasis, Prince, Alicia Keys, Diana Ross, Van Morrison and Harry Styles!