The Grand Opera House was a theatre located at 119 North Clark Street in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Established by Chicago impresario John A. Hamlin, the theatre originally opened as the Coliseum in 1875 and was later rebranded as Hamlin's Theatre in 1878. Initially a disreputable variety theatre catering to lowbrow tastes, the theatre was completely reinvented after an extensive and expensive remodel and reconstruction led by architect

Dankmar Adler Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900) was a German-born American architect and civil engineer. He is best known for his fifteen-year partnership with Louis Sullivan, during which they designed influential skyscrapers that boldly addr ...

. It reopened in 1880 as the Grand Opera House; now under the management of Harry L. Hamlin who ran the theatre for the next 32 years under that name. Under his tenure the venue became a respectable theatre which featured mainly performances of light operas and

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

; although some plays were also performed. In 1888 the well known painter and scenic designer Ernest Albert re-designed the interior of the opera house. In 1912 the theatre was renamed George M. Cohan's Grand Opera House when

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

and

Sam H. Harris Sam Henry Harris (February 3, 1872 – July 3, 1941) was a Broadway producer and theater owner. Career Sam Harris was born on Manhattan's Lower East Side to poor Jewish parents. After a stint as a cough drop salesman and boxing manager, Harris ...

took over the lease of the theatre. They operated the theatre into the early 1920s. The theatre then went through another extensive remodel and construction under architect

Andrew Rebori Andrew Nicholas Rebori (February 21, 1886 – May 31, 1966) was an American architect who was a member of the Chicago school of architecture. Life and work Early life Born in New York City, Rebori was the son of an engineer who had immigrat ...

before re-opening as the Four Cohans Theatre in 1926; now under co-ownershp by Cohan and the

Shubert family The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

. In 1928 the Shubert family became the sole owners of the theatre, and it was once again named the Grand Opera House. It continued under this name into the early 1940s. The theatre was purchased by

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

and remodeled and reconstructed again; this time with the purpose of changing the theatre into a

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 192 ...

to showcase RKO's films. It reopened as the RKO Grand Theatre in 1942. The theatre closed in March 1958 and was later demolished in May 1962 to make way for the construction of the

Richard J. Daley Center The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its open courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. The Center's modernist skyscraper primarily houses of ...

which is situated on the same property.

Notable premieres

*''

Hearts of Oak Hearts most commonly refers to: * Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game * Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards * Heart, an organ Hearts may also refer to: Music * The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...

'' (1879) *'' Blue Beard, Jr.'' (1889) *''

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

'' (1899) *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1902) *'' Babes in Toyland'' (1903) *''

Yes, Yes, Yvette ''Yes, Yes, Yvette'' is a musical in three acts with lyrics by Irving Caesar and music by Philip Charig and Ben Jerome. James Montgomery and William Cary Duncan co-authored the musical's book which was based on Montgomery's 1916 play ''Nothing ...

'' (1926)

References

External links

* {{coord, 41.8842, -87.6304, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title 1875 establishments in Illinois 1958 disestablishments in Illinois Buildings and structures demolished in 1962 Chicago school architecture in Illinois Cinemas and movie theaters in Chicago Demolished theatres in Illinois Demolished buildings and structures in Chicago Former theatres in the United States Theatres in Chicago