Auditorium Building

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Auditorium Building
Auditorium Building Chicago June 30, 2012-92.jpg
Building's exterior in 2012
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Location within Central Chicago
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Location within Illinois
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Location within the United States
Location430 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Illinois, US
Coordinates 41°52′34″N87°37′31″W / 41.87611°N 87.62528°W / 41.87611; -87.62528
Area67,699.5 square feet (6,289 m2)
Built1889
Architect Adler & Sullivan (Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, Frank Lloyd Wright)
Architectural styleLate-19th- and early-20th-century American movements
Part of Historic Michigan Boulevard District
NRHP reference No. 70000230 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 17, 1970 [2]
Designated NHLMay 15, 1975 [3]
Designated CHICLSeptember 15, 1976

The Auditorium Building is an early skyscraper at the northwest corner of South Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built between 1887 and 1889, it is one of the best-known designs of Adler & Sullivan, the partnership of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. The building was designed as a multi-use complex consisting of the Auditorium Theatre, offices, and a hotel. Frank Lloyd Wright, then a young apprentice, worked on some of the interior design. The building is owned and operated by Roosevelt University.

Contents

The building was constructed by a syndicate led by Chicago businessman Ferdinand Peck, and its theater opened on December 9, 1889. Originally, ownership of the land and building was separate; the Auditorium Association owned the building, and the land was split between four entities. The Auditorium Association began looking to replace the building as early as 1922; it subsequently went bankrupt, and the landowners took over in 1932. The building was renovated, operating until 1941. It was briefly used as a servicemen's center during World War II before being taken over by Roosevelt University in 1946. The university converted the former offices and hotel into classrooms, and the theater inside was renovated between 1958 and 1967. The building has undergone additional modifications throughout the years, including renovations in the early 2000s.

The building measures 238 feet (73 m) tall and is generally 10 stories, except for a tower on one side, which is 17 stories. Its structural design includes a foundation of grillages and pyramidal footings, which distributes weight from the tower evenly. Inside, the classroom spaces surround the theater. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark and a Chicago Landmark. In addition, it is a historic district contributing property for the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District.

Site

The Auditorium Building is located at 430 South Michigan Avenue in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. [4] [5] It occupies a land lot covering 63,500 square feet (5,900 m2) [6] on the southern section of a city block between Wabash Avenue to the west, Ida B. Wells Drive (formerly Congress Parkway [7] ) to the south, and Michigan Avenue to the east. [8] The building has a frontage of 162 feet (49 m) on Wabash, 362 feet (110 m) on Ida B. Wells, and 187+1⁄2 feet (57.2 m) on Michigan. [6] On the same block to the north are the Fine Arts Building and the Buckingham Building on Michigan Avenue. Grant Park is to the east across Michigan, and the Congress Plaza Hotel is to the south across Ida B. Wells. [9]

History

Development

Origin and purpose

Before the Auditorium Building was constructed, Chicago businessman Ferdinand Peck had helped finance construction of the nearby Central Music Hall, [10] [11] which opened in 1879 and was designed by Dankmar Adler. [10] [12] Peck organized the Chicago Grand Opera Festival in 1885. With the success of the festival, he decided to build a grand opera house for Chicago. [13] He incorporated the Chicago Auditorium Association in December 1886 to develop what he wanted to be the world's largest, grandest, most expensive theater that would rival such institutions as the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

The building was to include an office block and a first class hotel. Peck persuaded many Chicago business tycoons to go on board with him, including Marshall Field, Edson Keith, Martin A. Ryerson, Charles L. Hutchinson and George Pullman. The association hired the renowned architectural firm of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan to design the building. A young Frank Lloyd Wright, who was employed at the firm as draftsman, contributed to the design. [14]

The Auditorium was built for a syndicate of businessmen to house a large civic opera house; to provide an economic base it was decided to wrap the auditorium with a hotel and office block. Hence Adler & Sullivan had to plan a complex multiple-use building. Fronting on Michigan Avenue, overlooking the lake, was the hotel (now Roosevelt University) while the offices were placed to the west on Wabash Avenue. The entrance to the auditorium is on the south side beneath the tall blocky eighteen-story tower. The rest of the building is a uniform ten stories, organized in the same way as Richardson's Marshall Field Wholesale Store. The interior embellishment, however, is wholly Sullivan's, and some of the details, because of their continuous curvilinear foliate motifs, are among the nearest equivalents to European Art Nouveau architecture. [15]

Construction and opening

The Auditorium Building under construction, 1888 Auditoriumexteriorleslie1888.jpg
The Auditorium Building under construction, 1888

On October 5, 1887, President Grover Cleveland laid the cornerstone for the Auditorium Building. [16] The 1888 Republican National Convention (RNC) was held in a partially finished building where Benjamin Harrison was nominated as a presidential candidate. [17] Work on the hotel was hastened in the months before the RNC. At the time, the hotel was planned with 399 rooms, including 350 bedrooms, all of which would face outward. [18]

In early 1889, J. H. Breslin and R. H. Southgate, who respectively operated the Gilsey House and the Brunswick Hotel in New York, were hired to operate the Auditorium Hotel. [19] [20] A new entity, the Auditorium Hotel Company, was incorporated to operate the hotel. [20] On December 9, 1889, the theater was completed; [21] President Harrison dedicated the building and opera star Adelina Patti sang "Home Sweet Home". [22] [23]

Early years

For its first several decades, the building hosted various events and political conventions. [24] Opera singers in the Auditorium Theatre's early years included Enrico Caruso, Amelita Galli-Curci, Mary Garden, John McCormack, Nellie Melba, and Ellen Terry. [25] [26] The hotel hosted several US presidents, [27] [28] along with several Republican Party candidates' presidential campaigns. [27]

1890s to 1910s

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuted on October 16, 1891, and made its home in the Auditorium Theatre until it moved to Orchestra Hall in 1904. [29] Although the auditorium itself had inadequate backstage space, it was still able to host up to 38 operatic productions per year. [30] Adler & Sullivan also opened their office on the building's top floors, taking four private rooms: one each for Adler, Sullivan, and their draftsmen Frank Lloyd Wright and Paul Mueller. [31] The hotel accommodated large numbers of foreign guests during the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, [27] and the Congress Hotel was built that year as an annex to the Auditorium Hotel. [28]

Although the building's completion made Adler & Sullivan famous, it did not make them a profit, as the 2.5% commission was barely enough to compensate for expenses. [32] The building also proved unprofitable to its investors. The Auditorium Association, the building's developer, issued only one dividend to stockholders: a 1.5% dividend in 1893. [27] By the 1890s, the theater's colorful walls had already been repainted, as they did not harmonize with the colors of female patrons' gowns. [33]

1920s and 1930s

As early as 1923, the building's owners planned to replace the Auditorium Building with a high-rise skyscraper. These plans were abandoned due to disputes with the site's landowners. [27]

The building's resident opera company moved to the Civic Opera House in 1929, [27] [25] performing its final show, Romeo and Juliet, that January. [34] [35] One of the Auditorium Association's bond issues matured the next month, [34] but the association was unable to pay the face value of $834,000 to bondholders. [I] [27] [37] The Auditorium Theatre subsequently closed, [25] [37] and the Auditorium Association declared bankruptcy. [37] [30] The association's receiver attempted to convince the building's shareholders to move their shares in a common fund, but although most shareholders agreed to do so, this did not raise sufficient money for the organization. [30] The four landowners—the Northwestern Mutual and the Willing, Sears, and Slater estates [27] —solicited bids for the building's demolition in 1930 and 1931. [37] [34] The demolition attempts failed because the lowest demolition bid was submitted for $400,000, [II] [37] [34] was more than the land valuation. [21] [26]

In 1932, ownership of the building itself reverted to its landowners, [30] [37] who created a syndicate, the Auditorium Building Corporation, to manage the structure. [27] [37] John Goodridge of the Willing estate led the syndicate. [30] [38] Northwestern Mutual declined to join, requiring the remaining landowners to seek the company's permission for any minor modification under its section of land. [30] The owners hired Holabird & Root to conduct renovations. [30] [37] [38] The firm repaired the tower's foundations and the theater's ceiling trusses, and it redecorated the hotel to accommodate visitors to the Century of Progress world's fair. [30] [37] The theater renovation cost $125,000 [III] and involved the installation of new boxes and an entrance canopy, replacement of lighting, repainting, and removal of an art-glass skylight. [39] [40] The theater reopened in December 1932, [41] [42] but whatever success it had was short-lived. [39] [40] By the late 1930s, the building had a net annual income of only $35,000, [IV] while the property taxes alone were double that amount. [43] Nonetheless, Holabird & Root deemed the building itself structurally sound. [44]

1940s: Closure and servicemen's center

Seen from Grant Park Auditorium Building, Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL; Nov. 2023 (54191615293).jpg
Seen from Grant Park

The Auditorium Building Corporation had accumulated $1.15 million in debt by 1940 [V] [40] [45] and was severely delinquent on its property taxes. [27] [46] The corporation announced in May 1941 that the building would close the next month. [27] The closure arose after the operators of the nearby Congress Plaza Hotel decided to no longer provide heat, power, and water to the Auditorium; [27] [43] the corporation lacked money to pay for its own utility plant. [43] In response, local civic groups convened to appoint a committee to advocate for city takeover of the building, [47] and Mayor Edward Joseph Kelly chartered the Auditorium Music Foundation to convert it into a music center. [40] [45] After a 30-day extension of utility service, [43] the Auditorium Building was shuttered entirely on July 31, 1941. [46] [48] All tenants moved away except for a few storefronts. [40] [45]

The Auditorium Music Foundation sought to raise $400,000 to convert the theater into a performance venue. [VI] [40] [49] The group wanted to reopen the theater by November 1941, [43] but it had raised only $250,000 within a year. [VII] [40] The Cook County government filed a foreclosure suit against the building in June 1942, intending to auction off the decorations and furnishings. [50] [51] The county had wanted to auction the entire building but was unable to do so, as Northwestern Mutual had paid the back taxes on its own site. [51] The county government approved takeover of the building later that month; despite efforts to stave off a sale of the furnishings, [52] the sale proceeded as scheduled. [40] [45] The city government obtained ownership of the other lots, [53] taking over the structure in July. [54] [55] Excluded from this acquisition was a 52-by-170-foot (16 by 52 m) parcel at the building's northeast corner, [56] [57] covering parts of the theater and half the hotel. [58]

The building became a World War II servicemen's center, [22] [29] [45] occupying the first two stories. [54] A bowling alley was added inside the theater, [45] [59] a lunch counter replaced the original bar, and the decorations were painted over. [45] [53] A temporary boiler plant was added as well, [53] and a music room was built on the fourth floor in 1943. [60] The northeast corner parcel was sold in 1945 [58] to attorney Abraham Teitelbaum. [53] [56] [61] Teitelbaum proposed buying the building early the next year. [62] Kelly also proposed that the building be permanently retained as a recreation center, [63] but ultimately the servicemen's center operated for only a short period over the war. [53] [64] The center closed in May 1946 after accommodating ten million soldiers. [64]

Roosevelt University ownership

Mid-1940s and 1950s

Roosevelt University bought most of the building in August 1946, [53] [65] paying $400,000 to the Willing, Sears, and Slater estates. [VIII] [57] [58] [a] In exchange, the university agreed to assume $1.3 million worth of back taxes. [IX] [65] [58] The university took over the next month [61] and renovated the former hotel space over the next several months. [17] [66] The Auditorium Theater Foundation repaid its creditors and dissolved that year; [53] [45] the theater stood vacant for another two decades [22] and was used for storage. [67] Ownership was still split with Teitelbaum, requiring each other to gain the other's consent to occupy parts of the building. [61] [68] Some parts of the building, such as the theater curtain, a heating plant, and some elevator machinery, straddled both sections. [61] Teitelbaum initially wanted $2 million, a price the college found exorbitant; after several rounds of negotiations, [68] he erected chicken-wire fence between the two portions of the building. [53] [61] He ultimately sold his land to the college in February 1947 for $402,000, [X] [53] and students began using the Auditorium Building that year. [69]

In 1950, the city government announced plans to widen the neighboring section of Congress Street, which would require modifications to the building's southern elevation. [70] Roosevelt University contemplated converting the theater into a production studio around that time. [67] [71] As part of the Congress widening project, Roosevelt University agreed to cede a section of the first floor to the city in 1952, in exchange for having all back taxes waived. [45] [53] Some ground-floor rooms and part of the theater lobby were removed to make way for a sidewalk arcade; [45] [72] the Chicago Daily Tribune called these demolitions "a great pity". [73] The arcade, built by Walsh Brothers for $337,999, [XI] was completed in 1956. [74] During the decade, as the building's stained-glass windows fell into disrepair, they were replaced with clear panes. [75] Wright called the theater's dilapidated condition "Chicago's shame and a universal disgrace" and offered to help with renovation. [76] The 17-story office tower had been closed off because of structural deterioration. [77]

Roosevelt University's Murray-Green Library on the 10th floor of the Auditorium Building Roosevelt university murray green library 2017-09-10.jpg
Roosevelt University's Murray-Green Library on the 10th floor of the Auditorium Building

Renewed interest in Sullivan's architecture arose during his 100th birthday in 1956. [45] [72] By then, Roosevelt University was looking to rent out space in the building, anticipating it could receive up to $200,000 annually from rental income. [XII] [78] The university discussed the possibility of restoring the theater for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, [79] commencing tours of the old space in late 1956. [80] [81] It also raised $75,000 to convert the former banquet hall into the Ganz Recital Hall. [XIII] [77] [82] Architect Crombie Taylor was hired to oversee the Ganz Hall project. which was completed in 1957, [72] [83] following two years of work. [84] By then, the university was giving twice-weekly tours of the building. [85] Taylor designed a conversion of the ladies' parlor into the Louis Sullivan Room in 1958. [72] [86] That year, Roosevelt University trustees voted to restore the Auditorium Theatre. [87]

1960s: Theater restoration

The Auditorium Theater Council was formed in 1960 to oversee the theater's renovation. [88] [89] Roosevelt University retained ownership of the theater, on the basis that the theater comprised 40% of the interior area. [90] Beatrice T. Spachner, a Roosevelt University trustee, became the leader of the council early that decade. [b] [25] [22] She ultimately raised $2.25 million [XIV] [87] [91] or $3 million for the purpose. [XV] [22] [72] Initially, Taylor and Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) were hired to consult on the renovation. SOM claimed the building was structurally damaged (though the damage was subsequently deemed to not be severe), and Taylor said that rainwater poured into the stage due to defective drainage systems. [72]

Harry Weese was hired to restore the theater, [72] [86] having claimed to be able to refurbish it for a much lower price than SOM could. [23] Taylor oversaw an additional renovation of the second-floor hotel lounge in 1962. [72] [86] On October 31, 1967, the Auditorium Theatre reopened with a benefit concert where the New York City Ballet performed A Midsummer Night's Dream . [22] [91]

1970s to 1990s

After the theater reopened, the Auditorium Theater Council continued to restore ancillary facilities such as the dressing rooms and stage. [72] The lobby was renovated by Brenner, Danforth and Rockwell in 1973, which involved uncovering the mosaic floor and removing an existing partition. [72] In 1976, Roosevelt University promised $3.891 million [XVI] for a renovation of the building and sought a matching funds grant for the other half of that renovation. [92]

The university spent $186,000 renovating the southern end of its library (formerly the hotel's dining room) and $450,000 repairing the ventilation system and roof in 1980. [XVII] [93] The Theater Council was incorporated in 1981, though the Auditorium Theatre remained financially unsuccessful until later that decade, [89] when it became profitable for the first time. [94] This led to several long-running musicals being hosted there. [89] [94] Meanwhile, the building underwent additional renovations in the mid-1980s, which included light fixtures and stained glass windows. By then, $14.5 million had been spent on the building, of which $10.5 million had been spent on the spaces surrounding the theater. [93]

In 1994, Roosevelt University attempted to repurpose $1.5 million of the Auditorium Theatre's operating funds for a new campus in Schaumburg, Illinois. [88] [89] This prompted a lawsuit from the Theater Council, which wanted to take control of the theater. [89] [95] The university had identified an alternate funding source for its campus by early 1995, [89] and a court subsequently ruled that the theater's funds could only be used for the building. [96] The issue of control remained contentious over the next several years, amid a series of conflicting court rulings. [94] [97] By the late 1990s, the theater needed renovation to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and upgrade outdated mechanical and utility systems, but the ongoing lawsuit prevented further progress on these upgrades. [98] [99] The opening of the Schaumburg campus in 1996 freed up space in the Auditorium Building for additional classrooms. [100] [101] By then, the Auditorium Building accommodated 3,800 of the university's students, but the building's interiors were hard to navigate, and the interior lacked sufficient elevators. [101]

2000s to present

Crowd outside the Auditorium Theatre during Obama's Grant Park rally on the night of the 2008 election OBAMANOMENON (3004814871).jpg
Crowd outside the Auditorium Theatre during Obama's Grant Park rally on the night of the 2008 election

In 2000, the state government provided funding for a $13.6 million renovation of the Auditorium Theatre. Roosevelt University was also seeking $2 million in state funding to upgrade the building's classrooms, [33] as part of a wider-ranging renovation of its campuses. [100] By the next year, the building's stained glass was being renovated. [75] Workers at the Chicago Conservation Center removed 10 murals in the building's dining hall for a 17-month-long restoration costing $200,000. [102] The theater's stage and backstage areas were restored, [103] and the decorations were also restored. [104] The legal dispute was not ultimately resolved until 2002, when the Supreme Court of Illinois ruled in favor of Roosevelt University. [105] The university rededicated the renovated theater in September 2003. [104]

Work on further renovations of the Auditorium Theatre, involving the theater's atrium and skylight, began in 2025. [106] [107] The project, costing over $2.5 million, was funded in part by a $625,000 Save America's Treasures grant and private donations. [107] [108]

Architecture

The Auditorium Building was designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan of Adler & Sullivan. [4] [109] Two of their draftsmen, George Grant Elmslie and Frank Lloyd Wright, were significantly involved with the design, [109] while Paul Mueller was involved with engineering. [110] Adler & Sullivan's plans are no longer extant, so the roles of each architect are unknown, but Adler is sometimes cited as the primary architect. [109] [110] Wright wrote that the design was largely a product of Adler's "good judgment and restraining influence", [109] [111] writing that Sullivan had been "a novice in those days". [112] Architect Arthur Woltersdorf wrote c. 1941 that "Adler remained the commanding architect of this great structure to its end". [109] Other sources credit Sullivan with esthetic details and Adler with engineering details. [21] [24] [110] Sullivan biographer Narciso Menocal wrote that the Auditorium Building was Sullivan's first "Richardsonian compositions" and that its lack of ornamentation exuded a sense of masculinity. [113]

The Auditorium Building was one of the first major examples in the United States of a mixed-use building. [26] The hotel and offices, which wrapped around the Auditorium Theatre on the lower floors, [6] were intended to offset losses from the theater. [114] [115] [116] When completed, the Auditorium Building was the largest mixed-use building of its kind in the United States. [29] [114] Numerous subcontractors were involved with the building's mechanical features, although the building is not attributed to any general contractor. [114] The Auditorium Building was described as having 17 million bricks, 350 miles (560 km) of wiring, 760,000 square feet (71,000 m2) of terracotta in the floors, [117] 123,000 square feet (11,400 m2) of granite and limestone, 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of onyx and marble, and 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of gold leaf. [77]

Facade

The building measures 238 feet (73 m) tall [118] [116] and is generally 10 stories, except for a tower on the southern side, which is 17 stories. [6] [115] The tower rises an additional 95 feet (29 m) above the rest of the building. [119] The Auditorium Building has load-bearing walls [6] [120] and was more striking in its day when buildings of its scale were less common. [29] The exterior appearance is based partly on the design of H.H. Richardson's Marshall Field Warehouse, another Chicago landmark. [120]

The first three stories are clad in rusticated blocks of gray granite, [6] dressed to give the appearance that they are cut from a single stone. [116] On the southern elevation is a 13-foot-wide (4.0 m) public arcade containing a city sidewalk; this was formerly part of the interior of the building. [74] On Ida B. Wells Drive, there were three arched vaults with Doric columns, which led to the theater's foyer. [121] The stories above are clad in Indiana limestone of a slightly lighter hue. [6] [116] The tower has large piers at its corners, in addition to corbels at its cornice. [116] The tower's walls are up to 52 inches (1,300 mm) thick. [74]

Structural and mechanical features

As the structural engineer, Adler was responsible for several of the building's structural innovations, including the foundation, huge trusses above the theater, theatrical lift machinery, [110] and mechanical systems. [26]

When the Auditorium Building opened, it had the largest power plant of any individual building in the United States. [21] The building was equipped with the first central air conditioning system, [29] which pulled air from outside and rinsed it with water. [21] [26] The humid air was then blown through steam radiators during colder seasons and through blocks of ice during hotter seasons. [21] Its theater was the first to be entirely lit by incandescent light bulbs. [29]

Foundation

Foundation cross-section Auditorium bldg (foundations) HABS.jpg
Foundation cross-section

The Auditorium Building weighs 110,000 short tons (98,000 long tons; 100,000 t), a relatively large load compared with its ground area. [122] The tower alone weighs about 15,000 short tons (13,000 long tons; 14,000 t) but covers only 2,870 square feet (267 m2). [6] [122] The geology of the Auditorium Building site consists of soft hardpan up to 25 feet (7.6 m) below grade, with bedrock up to 75 feet (23 m) below grade, which made conventional foundations extremely expensive. [21] [123] The building was also less than 100 yards (91 m) away from Lake Michigan, and the bedrock was substantially lower than the lake's water level. Due to the weak ground, earlier buildings in Chicago, such as the Board of Trade Building, Main Post Office, and the old Chicago City Hall, had experienced severe issues with settlement. [122] Based on test borings dug by engineer William Sooy Smith, the ground could support about 4,250 pounds per square foot (20,800 kg/m2; 208,000 t/ha). [124]

To combat possible settlement, Adler designed a custom foundation in conjunction with Paul Mueller. [125] Unlike subsequent large American buildings constructed on loose ground, the foundation used no caissons or pilings. [26] Instead, to distribute the weight of the massive outer walls over a larger area, Adler and Mueller designed a grillage foundation, consisting of timber planks soaked in water, above which concrete-encased steel rails were laid perpendicularly to the timbers. Pyramidal concrete footings were then added above. [126] The tower's structural loads per square foot, which were significantly higher than the rest of the base, were distributed across the base. [6] [127] This was accomplished via multiple layers of north–south and west–east rails, which essentially cantilevered outward from the towers' piers. [127] Large amounts of brick and pig iron were incorporated into the lower walls, such that all walls carried the same loads up to the 10th story. [6] The loads were reduced in the tower's 11th to 17th stories, carrying only as much as necessary. [119]

The relative sturdiness of the foundations convinced Daniel Burnham, who was designing the 20-story Monadnock Building nearby, that it was safe to build such a tall structure in downtown Chicago. [128] It also inspired the foundations of Wright's later Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. [125] The walls still settled shortly after construction, [44] [126] sinking as much as 3 feet (0.91 m). [21] The original foundations had been intended to carry brick, but the Auditorium Theatre's directors changed the plans mid-construction to use stone, which increased the loads by one-third. [126] As a result, the theater's floor level slopes down slightly at its northern and southern walls. [127] Much of the settlement happened in the building's first decade, and no additional settlement has been reported since 1901. [44]

Interior

Sullivan designed the interior details, which included elaborate lobbies, parlors, and stairways. [26] [129] Many of the interior spaces had multicolored murals, which have been painted over throughout the years. [33] The interior has a floor area of 63,300 square feet (5,880 m2) [93] but, due to the theater's massive volume, spans 8,737,000 cubic feet (247,400 m3). [129]

Theater

In the center of the building is the Auditorium Theatre, whose main auditorium originally had about 4,200 seats; [8] [24] [130] [c] it has 3,901 seats as of 2017. [131] There was also a recital hall, originally with 500 seats. [8] These spaces are accessed by a foyer with a lofty vaulted ceiling and bare incandescent lightbulbs at the corners. The foyer has a marble floor but, other than the patterns of shadows created by the lightbulbs, is sparsely ornamented. [132] Narrow, relatively dark tunnels, which Adler likened to Roman vomitoria, connect the foyer to the theater itself, a brighter and more expansive space. [133] [134] This was an example of the compression and expansion design ethos, which Sullivan later used in other structures such as the Prudential and Wainwright buildings. [135] At the theater's western end, elevators and staircases ascend from the ground level to the upper seating levels; unlike European opera houses such as Paris's Palais Garnier, the theater lacked a grand stair hall. [136]

Interior of the Auditorium Theatre's main theater Chicago Auditorium Building, interior from balcony.jpg
Interior of the Auditorium Theatre's main theater

The main theater has a barrel vaulted ceiling, divided into sections by four ornamental arched ribs. [135] The main theater had an organ built by Hilborne Roosevelt, with 7,000 pipes and 109 organ stops, [21] as well as two murals by Albert Fleury. [137] In keeping with Peck's democratic ideals, the theater was designed so that all seats faced the stage, forgoing the horse-shoed balconies of older theaters. [115] The stage was massive for contemporary standards, at 98 by 70 feet (30 by 21 m). [17]

Other interior spaces

Housed around the theater were 136 offices and a 400-room hotel, [138] [8] which covered 53,274 square feet (4,949.3 m2). [58] These spaces nearly fully surround the theater. [129] [116] The offices were placed along Wabash Avenue to the west. The hotel surrounded the theater on the other sides, thus acoustically isolating the theater from the street. [129] The original offices and hotel have been replaced with Roosevelt University's classrooms and offices. There was also an outdoor courtyard above the center of the eighth story, which has since been replaced with additional university rooms. [93]

The banquet hall, a last-minute addition to the original plans, rests above the theater. [93] It has been known since 1957 as Rudolph Ganz Memorial Hall (after a former president of Chicago Musical College). [137] [83] Ganz Hall includes a gold-leaf ceiling and elaborate chandeliers. Glued to the walls are 10 murals painted by Albert Fleury, which each measure 9 feet (2.7 m) wide and depict pastoral American scenes. [137] Other decorative details in Ganz Hall include 17 Michigan birch columns with differing designs, as well as elaborate ventilation ducts. [93]

The tenth story contains a barrel vaulted room that was originally used as the hotel's dining room before becoming Roosevelt University's library. [33]

Impact and legacy

Reception

Historical markers Auditorium Building Chicago June 30, 2012-91.jpg
Historical markers

When the building was under construction, one writer predicted it would be, "without exception, the most magnificent ever erected for or devoted to hotel purposes in the United States". [18] The Auditorium Building's completion brought renown to Adler & Sullivan. [4] [32] The AIA Guide to Chicago wrote in 2022 that the Auditorium Building's design had been "the single most important factor in establishing the internationally recognized role of Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan in the evolution of modern architectural thought". [4] Robert Twombly wrote that Auditorium Building was "perhaps the single edifice for which Adler & Sullivan were and remain best known". [8] Adler's daughter said the structure had "the first music hall to be built inside a building", predating even New York's Carnegie Hall, [53] and Wright said "the building became famous before it was completed". [17]

Retrospectively, Aline B. Saarinen wrote in 1956 that "the building was an engineering and architectural triumph", praising both Sullivan's decorations and Adler's acoustics. [129] One writer stated in 2016 that the masonry design "granted an air of permanence to a structure designed to anchor and unify a city" that was, at the time, in political flux. [116]

Media and landmark designations

Terry Spencer Hesser produced a documentary about the Auditorium Building in 1994, [88] and the building was the subject of a 2002 book by Joseph Siry. [32] [139] While teaching at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1952, photographer Aaron Siskind had his students photograph the Auditorium Building and Sullivan's other work. [140]

The Auditorium Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1970. [2] It was declared a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior in 1975 [141] [142] and a Chicago Landmark on September 15, 1976. [143] In 2017, the Auditorium Building and several other early skyscrapers in Chicago were identified as possible future nominees to UNESCO's World Heritage List under the name "Early Chicago Skyscrapers". [144]

See also

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ Including the later $402,000 acquisition of Teitelbaum's land, [53] the site cost has been cited at $800,000. [17]
  2. ↑ Sources disagree on whether Spachner began her efforts in 1960, [25] 1961, [87] or 1963. [22]
  3. ↑ Other figures of 4,237, [119] [26] 4,250, [115] or 4,300 seats have also been cited. [21]

Inflation figures

  1. ↑ Equivalent to $12.0 million in 2024 [36]
  2. ↑ Equivalent to $6.6 million in 2024 [36]
  3. ↑ Equivalent to $2.3 million in 2024 [36]
  4. ↑ Equivalent to $0.6 million in 2024 [36]
  5. ↑ Equivalent to $20.1 million in 2024 [36]
  6. ↑ Equivalent to $6.6 million in 2024 [36]
  7. ↑ Equivalent to $3.8 million in 2024 [36]
  8. ↑ Equivalent to $4.9 million in 2024 [36]
  9. ↑ Equivalent to $15.9 million in 2024 [36]
  10. ↑ Equivalent to $4.9 million in 2024 [36]
  11. ↑ Equivalent to $3.0 million in 2024 [36]
  12. ↑ Equivalent to $1.8 million in 2024 [36]
  13. ↑ Equivalent to $0.6 million in 2024 [36]
  14. ↑ Equivalent to $16.1 million in 2024 [36]
  15. ↑ Equivalent to $21.5 million in 2024 [36]
  16. ↑ Equivalent to $16.6 million in 2024 [36]
  17. ↑ Equivalent to $0.6 million for the library and $1.4 million for the roof and ventilation in 2024 [36]

Citations

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Pitts, Carolyn (March 10, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Auditorium Building". National Park Service. Retrieved December 8, 2011.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ "Auditorium Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. May 15, 1975. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 AIA Guide to Chicago. University of Illinois Press. June 28, 2022. pp. 48–50. ISBN   978-0-252-05367-2.
  5. ↑ Buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright in Seven Middle Western States, 1887–1959: Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio. Burnham Library of Architecture, Art Institute of Chicago. 1963. p. 24. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 National Park Service 1975 , p. 2.
  7. ↑ Jordan, Karen (February 12, 2019). "Congress Parkway renamed after civil rights leader Ida B. Wells". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Twombly 1986 , p. 103.
  9. ↑ "Zoning Website". City of Chicago. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Twombly 1986 , p. 98.
  11. ↑ Siry 2002 , pp. 48–49.
  12. ↑ Siry 2002 , p. 60.
  13. ↑ Morrison 2001 , p. 61.
  14. ↑ Fletcher, Banister (1905). A history of architecture on the comparative method. Robarts - University of Toronto. Batsford. p. 1241.
  15. ↑ Roth, Leland M. A Concise History of American Architecture. p. 179-80
  16. ↑ "The President at Chicago". The Indianapolis Journal. October 6, 1887. p. 2. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Roosevelt College to Occupy Chicago Auditorium Hotel: Cavalcade of Celebrities Civic Center Proposed". The Christian Science Monitor. August 14, 1947. p. 17. ISSN   0882-7729. ProQuest   516110738.
  18. 1 2 "The Auditorium Hotel". The Daily Inter Ocean. March 4, 1888. p. 17. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  19. ↑ "The Chicago Auditorium Hotel". Rockford Daily Register. February 4, 1889. p. 4. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "The Big Auditorium Hotel". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 7, 1889. p. 8. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Petty, Bynum (January 2022). "Chicago's Magnificent Auditorium Theatre and Its Roosevelt Organ". The Tracker. Vol. 66, no. 1. pp. 30–36. ProQuest   2619482152.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kogan, Rick (April 24, 2015). "The Auditorium: A fine place for a football draft". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Bentley, Chris (February 2, 2015). "Auditorium Theatre". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  24. 1 2 3 Horstmannshoff 2016 , p. 64.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 McDaniel, Charles G. (October 31, 1967). "Chicago Auditorium to Reopen Tonight". Freeport Journal-Standard. Associated Press. p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hughes, Bob (September 29, 1985). "The Dramatic Story of a Magnificent Chicago Landmark". Chicago Tribune. p. 169. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Auditorium Will Ring Down Final Curtain June 30". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 30, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  28. 1 2 "Congress Hotel Sold: Chicago Landmark Is Bought by Pick Chain for 31/2 Million". New York Herald Tribune. August 16, 1950. p. 20. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1327512632.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Henning, Joel (September 6, 2008). "Form Follows Function, Elegantly: Louis Sullivan designed the Auditorium Theatre's interior to complement its acoustics-driven shape". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gregersen 1980 , p. 38.
  31. ↑ Saint, Andrew (2003). "Frank Lloyd Wright and Paul Mueller: The Architect and His Builder of Choice". Architectural Research Quarterly. Vol. 7, no. 2. p. 159. doi:10.1017/S1359135503002112. ISSN   1359-1355. ProQuest   199294528. Archived from the original on February 23, 2025.
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  33. 1 2 3 4 Kamin, Blair (May 28, 2000). "Tuning Sullivan's 'color symphony'". Chicago Tribune. pp. 7.1, 7.10, 7.12 . Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 4 Gregersen 1980 , p. 37.
  35. ↑ Siry 2002 , p. 395.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Siry 2002 , p. 396.
  38. 1 2 "Music Shows to Be Given at Auditorium". Chicago Tribune. September 20, 1932. p. 15. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  39. 1 2 Siry 2002 , pp. 396–397.
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gregersen 1980 , p. 39.
  41. ↑ "Chicago Society Awaits Opening of Old Auditorium Theater Once Scene of Grand Opera Triumphs". Lansing State Journal. December 3, 1932. p. 7. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Glories of Old Chicago Opera House Revived". The Decatur Herald. Associated Press. December 15, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 "Group Trying To Save Chicago's Big Auditorium". The Atlanta Constitution. August 17, 1941. p. 37. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  44. 1 2 3 Chase, Al (February 9, 1945). "Auditorium's Owners Eager to Help Save It". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 16. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Siry 2002 , p. 397.
  46. 1 2 "Historic Auditorium Folds Up in Chicago". Sterling Daily Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  47. ↑ "50 Leaders Organize Campaign to Rescue Auditorium Building". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 7, 1941. p. 10. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Chicago Says Sad Farewell to Auditorium". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 1, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Purse Strings Open in Drive for Auditorium". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 21, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  50. ↑ "County to Put the Auditorium Up for Auction". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 25, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  51. 1 2 Gregersen 1980 , pp. 39–40.
  52. ↑ "Building in Loop Taken by County for Back Taxes: First Such Foreclosure in 10 Years". Chicago Tribune. July 1, 1942. p. 18. ISSN   1085-6706. ProQuest   176693322.
  53. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Gregersen 1980 , p. 40.
  54. 1 2 "Takes Auditorium Hotel; Chicago Plans Free Entertainments There for Service Men". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 1, 1942. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Auditorium Hotel Is Army Recreation Hub". Rockford Register-Republic. INS. July 31, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  56. 1 2 "College to Give Auditorium All Its Old Beauties". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 7, 1946. p. 36. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  57. 1 2 "Lawyer Will Wall Off Half Chicago Theatre Unless Roosevelt College Buys Up His Part". The New York Times. September 8, 1946. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  58. 1 2 3 4 5 "Auditorium Is Bought by College". Chicago Tribune. August 6, 1946. pp. 1, 8 . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  59. ↑ Beukema, C. H. (September 4, 1942). "All-Star Tourney to Open Service Alleys". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 25. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  60. ↑ "Music Appreciation Room Opened at Service Center". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 20, 1943. p. 16. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  61. 1 2 3 4 5 Theresa, Priory (February 16, 1947). "Roosevelt College Prepares To Handle 6,000 Students". New York Herald Tribune. p. 49. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1268004587.
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  63. ↑ Chase, Al (February 8, 1945). "Mayor Heralds Auditorium as City Play Spot". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 7. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  64. 1 2 "A Host to Ten Million Gi's Closes Doors". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 16, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  65. 1 2 "Buys Chicago Landmark; Roosevelt College Gets the Old Auditorium Building". The New York Times. August 6, 1946. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  66. ↑ Illson, Murray (April 6, 1947). "Chicago's Roosevelt College Grows". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  67. 1 2 "School TV Center Slated in Chicago; Cooperative Institution Awaits F.C.C. Decision on Channel for Educational Use". The New York Times. December 9, 1951. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
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  69. ↑ Eckel, George (June 12, 1949). "Thriving College Honors Roosevelt; Institution Named for New Deal President Is Holding Its First Graduation". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  70. ↑ "City Reveals Widening Plans on Congress St". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 15, 1950. p. 60. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  71. ↑ "Television-Radio: Chi Schools Back $1 Mil Video Studio". The Billboard. Vol. 63, no. 59. December 15, 1951. p. 11. ProQuest   1040203040.
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  73. ↑ "Building for Keeps". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 21, 1950. p. 14. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  74. 1 2 3 "Arcade Project at Auditorium Close to Finish". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 4, 1956. p. 72. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  75. 1 2 Taylor, T. Shawn (November 27, 2000). "Artful Glass". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  76. ↑ Lowry, Shirley (October 20, 1956). "Wright Urges Restoration of the Auditorium". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 20. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  77. 1 2 3 Lister, Walter Jr. (August 7, 1957). "Grandeur of Chicago Hall Now passed in Oblivion". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 19. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  78. ↑ "Roosevelt U. Trustees Told Plan to Increase Revenue". Chicago Tribune. March 13, 1956. p. 30. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  79. ↑ "Study Return of Symphony to Auditorium". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 27, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  80. ↑ "Roosevelt U. Holding Tours of Auditorium". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 22, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  81. ↑ "Auditorium Theatre Reopened By Roosevelt U. For 'Display'". Daily Defender. December 26, 1956. p. 14. ProQuest   493623698.
  82. ↑ "Name New Director of Ganz Fund". Chicago Tribune. May 27, 1956. p. 119. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
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  84. ↑ "Dedicate Ganz Recital Hall Today". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 24, 1957. p. 174. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  85. ↑ "Conduct Tours of Auditorium Twice Weekly". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 16, 1957. p. 82. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  86. 1 2 3 Siry 2002 , p. 398.
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  89. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nicklin, Julie L. (February 17, 1995). "Theater directors sue to prevent use of reserves by Roosevelt U.". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Vol. 41, no. 23. p. A27. ProQuest   214742385.
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  113. ↑ Menocal 1981 , p. 18.
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  118. ↑ "Auditorium Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015.
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  120. 1 2 Sarkowski, John (1956). The Idea of Louis Sullivan. Bulfinch Press. p. 22. ISBN   0-8212-2667-3.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
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  127. 1 2 3 Siry 2002 , p. 156.
  128. ↑ Abbott, James R. (2000). "Louis Sullivan, architectural modernism, and the creation of democratic space". The American Sociologist. 31 (1): 62–85. doi:10.1007/s12108-000-1005-0. ISSN   0003-1232. ProQuest   1941380520 . Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  129. 1 2 3 4 5 Saarinen, Aline B. (October 28, 1956). "Pioneer of Modern Architecture; Specimens of the Sullivan Stamp". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  130. ↑ Fletcher, Meg (March 24, 2003). "City of Big Shoulders also known for its big buildings". Business Insurance. Vol. 37, no. 12. p. T24. ProQuest   233495479.
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  139. ↑ "The Chicago Auditorium Building: Adler and Sullivan's Architecture and the City". The Virginia Quarterly Review. Vol. 79, no. 3. Summer 2003. p. 94. ProQuest   205349036.
  140. ↑ Boxer, Sarah (May 8, 2002). "The Late, Great Light Show; Chicago's Photographers and Their Abstract World". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  141. ↑ "Auditorium Building, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois (U.S. National Park Service)". NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). April 17, 1970. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  142. ↑ "Chicago History Lover's Guide To The Auditorium Building". CBS Chicago. July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  143. ↑ "Auditorium Building". Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, Historic Preservation Division. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
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