Cadillac Palace Theatre
Main entrance of venue, c. 2005
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| Former names | New Palace Theatre (1926-31) RKO Palace Theatre (1931-53) Eitel's Palace Theatre (1953-72) Bismarck Theatre (1984-99) |
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| Address | 151 W Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60601-3108 |
| Location | Chicago Loop |
| Owner | Van Kampen Family |
| Operator | Nederlander Organization |
| Capacity | 2,344 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 4, 1926 |
| Renovated | 1972, 1984, 1999 |
| Closed | 1972-84 |
| Construction cost | $12 million ($172 million in 2016 dollars) $20 million (1999 renovations) ($29.4 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | Rapp and Rapp |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
The Cadillac Palace Theatre (originally known as the New Palace Theatre) is operated by Broadway In Chicago, a Nederlander Presentation. It is located at 151 West Randolph Street in the Chicago Loop area downtown.
The theater originally opened in 1926 as the New Palace Theatre with Roger Wolfe Kahn and his Orchestra topping the bill. It was built at a cost of $12 million as part of the Eitel Block Project. In 1984 the theater was renamed the Bismarck Theatre and turned into a rock venue. In 1999, it was renovated and renamed the Cadillac Palace Theatre after Cadillac purchased naming rights to the venue. It currently has maximum capacity of 2,344 people. Since this reopening it has been home to many pre-broadway hits. The theater is currently operated by Broadway In Chicago which has allowed for more Broadway hits to tour through Chicago causing a great economic impact on the city of Chicago.
The Rapp Brothers, George and Cornelius, were responsible for the design of the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The two men were also the architects behind the Oriental Theatre and the Chicago Theatre, as well as dozens of other theaters around the country. Their inspiration for the look and feel of the Palace Theatre came from the Fountainebleau and the Palace of Versailles, both found in France. The interior includes huge decorative mirrors, breche violet and white marble. The walls inside are adorned with gold leafing and wood decorations, as well as a series of complex arches and detailed brass ornamentation.
During World War II the United States government went around to most theaters and confiscated all the brass. Brass was melted down and used for ammunition, shells, etc. At the time, the owners of the Palace Theatre painted all the brass in the theater white, so that when the government came in, they were tricked into thinking the theater contained no brass. The brass was left this way and generally forgotten about until the recent renovation of the theater, when the paint was scraped off and the rare brass ornamentation was rediscovered and restored to its original state.
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Wikipedia