The Chicago Theatre is a Chicago landmark located in the Loop at 175 N. State Street. It was built in 1921 and was then known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre. It was designed by architects Cornelius and George Rapp in the Neo-Baroque French-Revival style, and is the oldest surviving style of this architecture in Chicago. The Chicago Theatre marque has become an emblem of the city itself and has been shown in TV shows and movies about Chicago.
From 1925 to 1945 the Chicago Theatre was famous as a classic movie theatre. It also hosted many jazz performances from the 1920s through 1930s. It is now primarily used as a venue for live plays, magic shows, stand-up comedy, live concerts and speeches. I’ve gone there to see Lilly Tomlin perform and we went there to see “Showboat”. And I once awaited the arrival of Jennifer Hudson, who was going to appear outside the theatre, but I never got to see her because she was running late and I had to go back to work (I was on my lunch break).
The Chicago Theatre building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 6, 1979 and was designated as a Chicago Landmark on January 28, 1983. The Chicago Theatre underwent numerous renovations over the years. It was completely redecorated in preparation for the 1934 Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago.
