Auditorium Building
One building, three lives: an opera house, a grand hotel and an office tower, raised together in 1889.
At a glance
The Auditorium Building on Michigan Avenue was the boldest work of its day by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. Finished in 1889, it packed a 4,000-seat opera house inside a block that also held a hotel and offices, its weight carried on one of the city’s heaviest foundations. Adler tuned the hall’s acoustics; Sullivan filled it with his organic ornament.
Key facts
- Location: 430 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
- Architects: Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan
- Completed: 1889
- Style: Richardsonian Romanesque, with Sullivan interiors
- Today: Roosevelt University and a working theatre
History
Chicago wanted a permanent home for opera and music, and a syndicate gave Adler and Sullivan the commission. The pair, with the young Frank Lloyd Wright among their draughtsmen, designed a hall that could hold thousands and still carry a whisper to the back row.
The theatre opened in 1889 before the President of the United States. The hotel and offices subsidised the culture. The building later passed to Roosevelt University, which restored the theatre and keeps the halls in use.
What you see
Outside, the building is sober: heavy granite and limestone in the Romanesque manner, with a tall tower. Inside, the theatre blooms with Sullivan’s gilded ornament and golden arches stepping back toward the stage. It is the contrast Sullivan loved, a plain shell around a glowing interior.
Practical information
- Open: the theatre by performance and tour; lobbies accessible
- Cost: free to view the lobbies; shows and tours ticketed
- Best for: the golden theatre interior
- Time needed: 30–60 minutes with a tour
Getting there
The building faces Grant Park on South Michigan Avenue in the Loop. CTA trains stop at Harold Washington Library and Adams/Wabash within a couple of blocks.
Nearby
- Art Institute of Chicago — the museum two blocks north
- Grant Park — the lakefront park across Michigan Avenue
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica / Wikipedia — Auditorium Building
- National Park Service — National Historic Landmark record
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto