| Chicago Opera House | |
|---|---|
 The Chicago Opera House ca. 1885-95 | |
 Interactive map of Chicago Opera House | |
| General information | |
| Type | Offices and Theater |
| Location | Chicago, USA |
| Coordinates | 41°52′59″N87°37′53″W / 41.8830°N 87.6313°W /41.8830; -87.6313 |
| Completed | 1885 |
| Destroyed | 1913 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cobb and Frost |
TheChicago Opera House was a theater complex inChicago, Illinois, designed by the architectural firm ofCobb and Frost. The Chicago Opera House building took the cue provided by theMetropolitan Opera of New York as a mixed-used building: it housed both a theater and unrelated offices, used to subsidize the cost of the theater building. The theater itself was located in the middle of the complex and office structures flanked each side.[1] The entire complex was known as the "Chicago Opera House Block," and was located at the Southwest corner of West Washington Avenue and North Clark Street.
The Chicago Opera House was opened to the public on August 18, 1885. The first performance in the new theater was ofHamlet starringThomas W. Keene.[2] From 1887 to 1890, the Chicago Opera House served as the official observation location for recording the climate of the city of Chicago by theNational Weather Service.[3]
The theater suffered a fire in December 1888, which mainly damaged portions of the roof. However, the roof was repaired, and most of the exterior of the building remained undamaged. During its existence, the Chicago Opera House was the site of the premiere of several successful musicals such asSinbad andThe Arabian Nights.[4]
The last performance at the building was the stage playThe Escape byPaul Armstrong (later made into a film, now lost, by D.W. Griffith in 1914). Demolition on The Chicago Opera House began May 5, 1913.[5] The site is currently occupied by theBurnham Center (formerly known as the Conway Building), completed in 1915.[6]
The idea for the Chicago Opera House came from Scottish-born newspaperman and financier David Henderson.[7] Henderson "planned the scheme and the stock – 550,000 – was subscribed in six weeks. Thus Chicago had the first fireproof, steel constructed, electric lighted theatre in the country."[8] The construction of the Chicago Opera House was one of the earliest examples ofgeneral contracting, run byGeorge A. Fuller. Upon completion, themasonry-clad building was 10 stories and 140 feet (43 m) tall.[9]
The practice of general contracting is said to have been first employed here by George A. Fuller.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
