Uptown Theatre at Open House Chicago

The Uptown Theatre is the crown jewel of the local entertainment corporation Balaban and Katz and renowned Chicago commercial architects Rapp and Rapp. Built in 1925, the Uptown is the largest freestanding theater in North America and was inspired by opulent palaces in Europe, employing the Spanish Baroque Revival style. No expense was spared in its construction. Marble sweeps throughout the building, ornate plaster climbs the walls and sprawls across the ceilings with images of royalty, mythology and fantasy. Large columns and arched doorways, murals by Louis Grell, and grandiose lighting by Victor S. Pealman inspire the imagination. Inside the auditorium thousands of colored lights hidden in plaster coves indirectly light the space to enhance the mood of the film or music being presented. With a stage, orchestra lift, movie screen and pipe organ, patrons could enjoy movies, plays, vaudeville acts, comedians, news reels and music in all forms. With decreasing revenue in the 1960s, the Wurlitzer organ and many lavish paintings and statues were sold to help cover operating costs. By the 1970s, the theater became a live music venue, hosting numerous rock concerts with headliners like the Grateful Dead, Genesis, Electric Light Orchestra, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello, Prince, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, and Frank Zappa.