Steinway Hall (1896–1970) was an 11-story office building, and ground-floor theater (later cinema), located at 64 E. Van Buren Street in

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

. The theater had at least 14 names over the years, opening in 1896 as the Steinway Music Hall, and closing in the late 1960s as Capri Cinema. In the early 1900s, the building held the offices and nucleus of a group of famous Chicago architects that included a young

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

. These young architects, inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement and the philosophies of

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

, formed what would become known as the

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

Building history

Steinway Hall was an 11-story

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

Steinway & Sons Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to ...

and the theater was one of many Steinway Halls around the world designed to showcase company products. Beginning in the winter of 1896-97, the building's 11th floor housed the offices of a group of important architects that included Dwight H. Perkins, Robert C. Spencer,

and

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

. Wright would maintain an office there until ca. 1908. The building and offices became a central location for architects including

Webster Tomlinson Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

, Irving Pond and Allen Bartlitt Pond,

Adamo Boari Adamo Boari (22 October 1863 – 24 February 1928) was an Italian Art Nouveau and Art Deco civil engineer and architect, he had a very active career in Mexico and he is known for the construction of notable Historicist architectural works in this ...

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

and

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. The building served as the nucleus of a group of architects known as The Eighteen, a name coined by Wright to signify a group who gathered for meals to discuss matters of mutual interest. Others outside Steinway Hall who met with the group included Arthur Dean and

George Dean George Dean (14 November 1867 – 7 May 1933) was a ferry boat master in Sydney, Australia, who was charged with attempting to poison his wife. A large part of the Sydney public came to believe that Dean was innocent and that his wife and her moth ...

, Hugh Garden,

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, Richard E. Schmidt and Howard Shaw. In 1904, the Hobart M. Cable Piano Co. had offices and warerooms in the building. Around 1925, the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

moved into the building.From written by Don Draganski, edited by Brian Wis. One hundred and twenty-five names appeared on the faculty roster for that year, and the School opened three dormitory floors for students. The College stayed there until 1954, when it merged with

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

's School of Music and moved operations to the

Auditorium Building The Auditorium Building in Chicago is one of the best-known designs of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. Completed in 1889, the building is located at the northwest corner of South Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive. The building was de ...

. Steinway Hall was demolished in 1970. In its place, and all up along Wabash, was built the

CNA Center CNA Center may refer to one of the following buildings that has housed the headquarters of CNA Financial Corporation: * 151 North Franklin, called CNA Center starting in 2018 * 333 South Wabash, called CNA Center until 2018 See also * List of tall ...

(originally Continental Center III), 1970-72. This 44-story slab, designed by

Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (GAP&W) was a Chicago architectural firm that was founded in 1912 as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to D. H. Burnham & Co. through Daniel Burnham's surviving partner, Ernest R. Graham, and Burnh ...

, is prominent in Chicago's skyline not only because of its 600-foot height close to Michigan Avenue, but even more so because of its redness.

Theater history

The 850-seat theater opened as the Steinway Music Hall. By 1900 the theater was renamed Ziegfeld Hall, probably leased to

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, but soon was renamed the Kelly and Leon Opera House. By 1910, it was called the Whitney Opera House, leased to B.C. Whitney.

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

and

Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...

were among those to appear in stage shows at the Whitney. By 1915, it was called the Central Music Hall with a program of Shakespearean plays. It should not be confused with a different Central Music Hall, designed by

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 ...

, that stood at the southeast corner of State and Randolph streets and was demolished in 1900. Central Music Hall was renamed to Central Theatre in 1923, with variations on that name over the next several years depending on who leased it (Minturn's Central Theatre, Barrett's Central Theatre, Shubert's Central Theatre). In 1930 it became a movie house called the Punch & Judy Theatre. In about 1931 it was renamed back to the Central Theatre and did live performances again, but in 1934 it went back to movies and was renamed the Sonotone Theatre. It was later renamed the Studio Theatre, the Ziegfeld Theatre, and finally the Capri Cinema in 1958. Capri Cinema ran

adult film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...

s towards the end, closing in the late 60s. The theater was demolished with the building in 1970.

References

{{Reflist Demolished theatres in Illinois Opera houses in Illinois Former cinemas in the United States Former buildings and structures in Chicago Theatres completed in 1896 1896 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures demolished in 1970 1970 disestablishments in Illinois Skyscraper office buildings in Chicago