{"nrhp_refnum":"79000822","name":"Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre","other_names":["The Chicago Theatre"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"175 N. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.88552969500006,"lon":-87.62727928799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-06-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture","Social History","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seven-story movie palace at 175 N. State Street in Chicago's Loop, opened October 26, 1921 by Balaban and Katz and designed by C. E. and George L. Rapp.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the largest, most costly and grandest of the early super deluxe movie palaces, and the only one of those early grand houses still standing. It was the first deluxe theatre built for movies in downtown Chicago. It is also tied to the Balaban and Katz chain, which came to dominate Chicago film exhibition.","narrative":"Opened on October 26, 1921, this seven-story movie palace at 175 N. State Street in Chicago's Loop was built for the Balaban and Katz theatre chain at a cost of $4,000,000. Architects Rapp and Rapp modeled the cream-colored terra cotta front on the Arc de Triomphe, and a five-story vertical CHICAGO sign and an ornate 1949 marquee remain. Inside, a Louis XIV-themed grande lobby leads to an auditorium seating roughly 3,900 people beneath a 110-foot dome. Renovations in 1932-33 and 1949-50 changed many interior finishes, and the later work replaced the original light fixtures and furnishings. The theatre is described as the largest and grandest of the early deluxe movie palaces and the only one of that early group still standing. It was also the first deluxe theatre built for movies in downtown Chicago, and it reflects the rise of Balaban and Katz as the city's dominant film exhibitor.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"C. E. & George L. Rapp (Rapp and Rapp)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition, altered, and on its original site. Lobbies and lounges were remodeled in 1949-50, while the auditorium and stage largely survive.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.253431-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/54/8924/28892454/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/79000822.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000822/ea1e99b6b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000822/ea1e99b6b0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Daniel Schwen","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_Theatre_blend.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Schwen</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_Theatre_blend.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"98001351","name":"Loop Retail Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/loop-retail-historic-district-98001351/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892454","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q642866"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/balaban-and-katz-chicago-theatre-79000822/"}