World Architecture Images- Chicago- Civic Opera Building

	Essential Architecture- Chicago Loop South Civic Opera Building
architect	Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
location	20 N. Wacker Dr.
date	1927-29
style	an interesting mix of French Renaissance Revival-style for the Opera two-story portico and monumental pedestrian colonnade and Art Deco for the office tower.
construction	Stone clad
type	Office Building and Theatre



A mixed-use structure, the Civic Opera Building houses both a 3,400-seat auditorium and more than half a million square feet of office and retail space. Its architecture clearly expresses its joint role as a civic monument to culture and commerce. The ornate, French Renaissance Revival-style, two-story portico and monumental pedestrian colonnade, which face Wacker Drive, are appropriate to the style and use of a grand opera house. In contrast, the building's Art Deco-style facade facing the Chicago River is shaped like an enormous armchair; its 12-story "seat" is the opera house, its 22-story "arms" are office annexes, and its 45-story "back" is the office tower. Critics at the time referred to the building as "Insull's throne," in reference to its builder, utility magnate Samuel Insull. The interior of the opera house features a sumptuous lobby and fire curtain, both detailed by noted muralist and designer Jules Guerin.
links	With special thanks to the City of Chicago website, www.egov.cityofchicago.org , for much of the info on this page. Photos copyright City of Chicago.
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