The world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago performs in one of
North America's most beautiful opera houses, the Civic Opera
House, at 20 North Wacker Drive. The opera house was the vision
of utility magnate Samuel Insull (1859-1938), a populist
billionaire known as "the Prince of Electricity."
Insull, the president of the Chicago Civic Opera Association,
wanted to erect a new opera house to replace Louis B. Sullivan's
Auditorium Building on South Michigan Avenue as the home of the
Chicago Civic Opera--one that would be democratic in scope, and
would be housed in and supported by a commercial office
building. He mandated five requisites for the new opera house:
safety, excellent sight lines, comfortable seating, gracious
surroundings, and premium acoustics.
The design team chosen by Insull, the Chicago architectural
firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, wanted the Civic
Opera Building to symbolize the spirit of a community which is
still youthful and not much hampered by traditions. The firm was
already famous for designing the Field Museum of Natural
History, the Wrigley Building on North Michigan Avenue, and the
Continental Illinois Bank Building on South LaSalle Street. In
the 1930s the firm created the massive Merchandise Mart
Building, also on the Chicago River.
From its opening on Nov. 4, 1929 (just six days after the
stock-market crash) until Lyric Opera of Chicago was founded in
1954 (as Lyric Theatre), the Civic Opera House was home to the
Chicago Civic Opera, Chicago Grand Opera Company, Chicago City
Opera Company and Chicago Opera Company. Over the years the
Civic Opera House has also hosted visiting opera and dance
companies, as well as touring operettas, musical shows, and a
great number of orchestral, dance, and vocal concerts. The
adjoining Civic Theatre, at the north end of the block-long
building, was used to present plays (including the premiere of
Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie), dance
performances, and films; for a considerable time it also served
as a television studio.
The Civic Opera Building is a majestic limestone skyscraper
with a 45-story office tower and two 22-story wings. Shaped like
a gigantic throne facing the Chicago River between Washington
and Madison streets, it was completed after just 22 months of
planning and construction. The auditorium and its backstage
areas occupy approximately one-third of the total space of the
building. The distinguishing feature on the Wacker Drive side of
the Civic Opera Building is the colonnaded portico that runs the
entire length of the building. At the south end, large bronze
doors open onto the grand foyer of the Civic Opera House, whose
gilt cornices glitter beneath the sparkling lights of Austrian
crystal chandeliers and elaborately stenciled ceilings. The
magnificent space features a floor and wainscoting of pink and
gray Tennessee marble, and fluted Roman travertine columns and
pilasters. The 40-foot-high columns are topped with carved
capitals covered in gold leaf. In early 1994 the space was named
the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer in honor of major
benefactors. An imposing grand double staircase leads to the
mezzanine foyer, where there are thirty-one boxes. Above this
box level are two more balconies, each with 800 seats. The Civic
Opera House seats 3,563.
The decorative character of the entire building is a hybrid
of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Comedy-tragedy masks and
cornucopia of instruments abound as playful ornaments around
entrances, inspired by the Paris Opera House designed by
Jean-Louis-Charles Garnier. The famous painted fire curtain
(depicting the parade scene from Aida) and the interior
decoration details of the Civic Opera House were created by
American artist Jules Guerrin in a palette of salmon pinks,
roses, olives, golds and bronzes.
In 1993, Lyric Opera of Chicago purchased all of the theater
and backstage space in the Civic Opera Building. Previously
Lyric Opera had rented the auditorium and backstage areas. A
massive $100-million renovation of the backstage area commenced
in 1993, and continued during Lyric's off-seasons (late February
through early September) through 1996. The improvements made
during this project allow Lyric Opera to continue producing
world-class opera well into the 21st century. The purchase and
renovation was made possible by Lyric's $100-million Building on
Greatness capital campaign. The Lyric Opera of Chicago/Chicago
Symphony Orchestra Facilities Fund helped launch Lyric's
campaign with a $50 million commitment.
The renovation includes the creation of a large rehearsal
hall that duplicates the dimensions of the mainstage; the
creation of a stage-level scenery handling area that has ended
Lyric's need to often store valuable sets on city sidewalks; the
replacement of outdated stage rigging and lighting; updating of
electrical and mechanical systems; installation of new heating,
ventilation and air conditioning systems throughout the
backstage areas and in the Civic Opera House itself; improved
and expanded patron restrooms; updating of facilities for
persons with disabilities; redesign of the mezzanine lobby; and
the addition and renovation of dressing rooms, locker space and
lounges for artists, orchestra, chorus, ballet and stagehands,
as well as the renovation of backstage office space for
production and rehearsal personnel. These improvements were made
during the first three phases of the renovation.
The final phase took place between early April and early
August of 1996. All 3,563 seats and carpeting were removed from
the auditorium. As soon as the seats were out, 20,000 square
feet of scaffolding went up--seven stories high--so that
artisans could clean and completely repaint the auditorium
(including elaborate stenciling). The theater had never been
fully repainted since it opened in 1929--just patched and
touched up as needed over the years. During the summer of 1996
more than 30 highly skilled artisans from around the country
worked in the Civic Opera House six days a week, 10 hours a day,
applying 2,000 gallons of gold paint to the elegant
ornamentation of the auditorium, Rice Grand Foyer, and all
lobbies. The painters also hand-stenciled and hand-detailed the
exquisite ornamentation that adorns the Civic Opera House
ceilings--in a dozen colors, no less.
Every seat in the auditorium was beautifully refurbished for
the first time since 1929. The metal portions were repainted and
the wood arms were refinished; the upholstery, seat and back of
each chair were replaced. 6,000 square yards of new deep-red
carpeting were installed in the theater and lobbies of the Civic
Opera House. The 31 boxes on the mezzanine level were rebuilt
and enlarged by 18 inches. A new mainstage curtain was
installed, made of 580 yards of heavy-weight wool velour and
silk fringe to replicate the original 1929 curtain. Each side of
the curtain weighs approximately 500 pounds; the hung dimensions
are 64 x 45 feet. All the bronze decorative features and
railings in the Civic Opera House were polished to a
just-like-new sheen. The beautiful travertine marble was
thoroughly cleaned.
Backstage, a 40-foot-high, 40,000-pound soundproof door was
installed to acoustically separate the scenery handling area
from the mainstage. During the renovation 32 miles of new rope
and cable were installed backstage to update the scenery rigging
system. Additionally, 170 miles of electrical wiring and 38
miles of electrical conduit were installed throughout the Civic
Opera House.
In October 1996, the main auditorium of the Civic Opera House
was named the Ardis Krainik Theatre in honor of Miss Krainik,
who had been the company's general director since 1981.
Following her death January 18, 1997, William Mason was named
general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
