Chicago: Lake Street El Station and Chicago Theater
The iconic six-story-high “Chicago” sign above the marquee of the Chicago Theater as seen through the Loop El station at Lake Street.
Slated for demolition in the 1980s but subsequently saved, this grand 3,800-seat theater has been restored to its former glory. The oldest surviving theater in Chicago, it was designed by Rapp and Rapp in 1921 and originally operated as a vaudeville movie palace.
Along with its Beaux-Arts white terra-cotta façade, the theater has the last remaining cast-iron building front in Chicago. The elaborate decoration of the theater’s marble-columned entrance-way, triumphal arch (inspired by Paris’ Arc de Troimphe) and palatial lobby reflect the opulence of early theater design. The six-story-high “Chicago” sign above the marquee has become a glittering symbol of the city.
Chicago Theater was designated a landmark by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development on January 28, 1983.
Chicago: Lake Street El Station and Chicago Theater
The iconic six-story-high “Chicago” sign above the marquee of the Chicago Theater as seen through the Loop El station at Lake Street.
Slated for demolition in the 1980s but subsequently saved, this grand 3,800-seat theater has been restored to its former glory. The oldest surviving theater in Chicago, it was designed by Rapp and Rapp in 1921 and originally operated as a vaudeville movie palace.
Along with its Beaux-Arts white terra-cotta façade, the theater has the last remaining cast-iron building front in Chicago. The elaborate decoration of the theater’s marble-columned entrance-way, triumphal arch (inspired by Paris’ Arc de Troimphe) and palatial lobby reflect the opulence of early theater design. The six-story-high “Chicago” sign above the marquee has become a glittering symbol of the city.
Chicago Theater was designated a landmark by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development on January 28, 1983.