Chicago Concert Venues #1: Auditorium Theatre Traditional Cache
Chicago Concert Venues #1: Auditorium Theatre
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If you have attended any events at the theatre, please share them in your Log. (I've seen The White Stripes, Les Miserables and the Nutcracker Suite.)
Extreme stealth and a lot of patience may be required in this busy area of the Loop. Parking and/or University Security may be present and the Theatre entrance is under video surveilance. The find is simple enough and the location will provide you an across the street view of the theatre's front entrance. Just be very wary of muggles. You do not need to leave the sidewalk or enter any part of the garage facility. The cache is a log only, bring your own scribbler.
In December 1886, Ferdindand Peck incorporated the Chicago Auditorium Association with the hope of developing the world's grandest theatre. Peck convinced several highly regarded Chicagoans, including George Pullman and Marshall Field, to support the project. The association hired architectural firm of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan to design the building, which at the time employed a young draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright. In October 1887, President Grover Cleveland laid the cornerstone for the building.
Due to the clay laden, swampy land upon which Chicago was built, a conventional foundation for the building was not possible. To lay the foundation, Adler and engineer Paul Mueller innovated a raft-like design which consisted of crisscrossed railroad ties and layers of steel rails which were all embedded in concrete. However, over time the weight of the exterior walls as compared to the light-weight interior caused the outer parts of the building to settle as much as 29 inches. This distortion is clearly visible in the slanting tiles in the theatre lobby as well as sloping floors on the box seat areas.
The theatre was also one of the first to be heated and air conditioned allowing it to function year round. During the winter months, air was pumped in, humidified and heated over radiators before being pumped into the theatre. In the summer months, the air was cooled over 15 tons of ice delivered daily. The decorative domed vents are visible throughout the theatre.
In its over 120 year history, the theatre has housed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (including its debut) and the Opera company that went on to become the Civic Opera. In 1941, the City of Chicago moved into the theatre and used it as a serviceman’s center during World War II until Roosevelt University took over in 1946. The theatre reopened in 1967 and became Chicago’s premier rock venue and saw such performances as The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and The Grateful Dead.
The theatre was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1975. In 2001, a major restoration project was begun to return the theatre to it original splendor. Today the theatre presents such acts as the Joffrey Ballet and other premier dance troupes, large theatrical productions including Les Miserables, and many other cultural productions.
(History is adapted from the Auditorium Theatre's info page.)
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