Steinway Hall

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Steinway Hall, Kelly and Leon Opera House (1900), Whitney Opera House (1910), Central Music Hall (1915), Central Theatre (1923), Punch & Judy Theatre (1930), Sonotone Theatre (1934), Studio Theatre (1940), Ziegfeld Theatre (1950), and Capri Cinema (1958)
Life Span: 1895-1970
Location: Van Buren and Michigan
Architect: Dwight H. Perkins

Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1899

Steinway Hall

Hunt Myron

Perkins Dwight H

Spencer Robert C jr

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904
Steinway Hall—17 to 21 Vanburen
Perkins Dwight H architect 1200, 17 Vanburen
Spencer Robert C jr architect 1200, 17 Vanburen
Cable Hobart M Co The (formerly Chicago Cottage Organ Co) F S Shaw pres; H M Cable jr v pres; H B Morenus sec and treas; pianos and organs; main office 414 to 416 Steinway hall

Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1907
Steinway Hall—17 to 21 Vanburen
Whitney Opera House—17 Vanburen

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1911
Steinway Hall—64 E Vanburen
Whitney Opera House, Bertram C Whitney pres 66 E Vanburen

Chicago Eagle, May 11, 1895

STEINWAY HALL CHRISTENED.
Steinway Hall was christened Wednesday afternoon. The formal opening to the public took place on Friday night, with the program repeated Saturday night. The features of the musical opening of the new auditorium were the presence of the Chicago Orchestra and Miss Antionette Szumowska, who, it is said, was the favorite pupil of Paderewski, under whom she studied. The program included numbers by Clarence Eddy, Marie Brewa, Arthur Friedheim and Wilhelm Middelschulte.

The new building in the property of the New Temple Music Building Company. It stands on the north side of Van Buren street. Just east of Wabash avenue, on the site of the New Jerusalem Church, which was torn down last October.

The lower floor is to be occupied by the music firm and the upper doors contain more than 100 offices. The building is eleven stories high. The second story is the auditorium and the third is the balcony. The hall is capable of seating 788 persons. It is built to be as near as may be like a spacious parlor. It was the aim of the architect, Dwight H. Perkins, to produce a capacious hall with the advantage of seating the audience in a mass about the singer or performer. The dimensions of the room are 55 by 58 feet and 27 feet high. The stage is rotunda-like in form, to give resonance, the builders say. Above the stage are two grills which admit half the air desired for ventilation. The rest is let in by grills over the balcony at the rear of the hall. Fresh, warm air is admitted at the top of the hall and the fetid air is drawn off by door registers.

The architecture of the hall is in the style of the Italian renaissance, and the color-scheme of the interior decoration is of Tuscan red and sage green. The windows are of stained glass in the prevailing sage green.

The organ is built into the wall beside the stage. The player, however, sits at a portable console, which is electrically connected with the pipes, and may be moved to any part of the stage. It is said to be the only movable one of the sort In the city.

Above the stage is a frieze, typifying a scene from Norse mythology—the “Death of Baldur,” allegorical of the passing summer. The figures are those of the characters in the Niebelungenlied. Odin walks at the head of the funeral cortege, Freya, his wife, following. After them come the Valkyrie, Odin’s daughters, the choosers of the slain. In the midst is the funeral car of Baldur and his wife Nanna, the flower goddess, who, like the flowers. dies with Baldur. At the rear walks the treacherous Loki with the sprig of mistletoe—the only plant that did not promise not to kill the favorite of the gods. The frieze is the work of Charles Holloway, the artist of the Auditorium proscenium frieze. A. G. Bissel is the manager of the new auditorium.

Inland Architect and News Record, February, 1897

Chicago Tribune, August 11, 1900

PUT OPERA IN STEINWAY HALL.
Owners of the House Lease It to Francis Leon for a Permanent Amusement House.
Steinway Hall, 17 to 21 Van Buren street, was leased yesterday to Francis Leon, who will change the name to the Kelly & Leon Opera-House and will open it as a place of amusement on Monday, Oct. 1.

An organization to be called the Kelly and Leon opera company will be installed, and it will give performances every evening but Sunday, with Saturday matinées. A madrigal choir of twelve boy singers will be included in the company. The hall will be refitted and the stage widened and deepened.

The Kelly and Leon opera company is an old-time Chicago organization, its history going back over forty years. From Chicago it went to New York, and from the Eastern eity to London, having a long residence in both cities. In recent years it has toured through this country and Australia. At one time it was under the management of Al Hayman, the present head of the theatrical syndicate. Dr. Edwin Kelly, one of the original partners, sold his interest to Mr. Leon five years ago, but the firm name was retained.

Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1907

Whitney Opera House.
What formerly was called the New theater was reopened Saturday evening as the Whitney opera house. Changes had been made since the dissolution of the ill fated stock company which was expected to do so much for the standard drama and failed to come up to the expectations. Not that the interior of the playhouse had been greatly changed. The entrance, foyer, parquet, boxes, and gallery remain as they were, the chairs are as comfortable as they ever have been, and save for the addition of a few seats in spaces formerly vacant the auditorium remains about as it was. An orchestra pit has been built in, however, and now is occupied by the instrumentalists and conductor needed for musical comedy productions. The organ, the pipes of which were at either side of the stage, has been removed and the resultant plain panels have been adorned with pieces of tapestry. Behind the curtain the changes have been more radical. The stage has been deepened some twelve feet by extending it cack across the alley, and the narrow, hampered confines which formerly made the obtaining of a correct stage picture almost impossible have been so enlarged that now pleasing settings and groupings are obtainable. It is not a large stage, but it suffices for the needs of a musical comedy such as is the Smith-Hubbell “A Knight for a Day,” which is the initial offering of the house under the new management of B. C. Whitney.

The audience on Saturday evening left not a place vacant from orchestra rail to last row of gallery. It was a well dressed, happy spirited assemblage of amusement seeking theater patrons. Musical comedy and favorite musical comedy performers combined with the curiosity naturally attendant upon the opening of a new theater had brought them together, and hearty good will and liberal, enthusiastic applause were unfailingly in evidence throughout the entire evening.

Chicago Tribune, February 21, 1915

Members of the play producing department of the Playgoers’ club, under the direction of Ellas Day, will present at the new Central Music hall (formerly the Whitney) on Saturday evening, March 6, three one act plays: “The Dark Lady of the Sonnets,” “The Twelve Pound Look,” and “On Ball.” Among those taking part in the different plays will be Miss Pauline Kelly, Miss Lucille Buhl, Miss Marguerite-Hurter, Miss Sue Barber, and Miss Tracy, and Messrs, Clarence O. Bee, Louis Lee Purvis, and Hugo Janz.

Chicago Tribune, May 28, 1930

LEASE CENTRAL THEATER FOR TALKIE HOUSE
Will Be Remodeled Into “Punch and Judy.”
By Al Chase.
Signatures were placed on a loop lease yesterday which will give Chicago theatergoers practically & new playhouse, a tiny affair of only 450 seats, at 62-66 East Van Buren street. This is the old Central theater, in the Chicago Musical college building, which for many years was known as Steinway hall. Considerable mystery surrounds the lease, neither the time, rate, or lessee’s name was disclosed.

It was stated, however, that Alfred S. Alschuler is drawing plans along modernistic lines which will call for an expenditure of approximately $150,000. The present seating capacity of the oid Central is said to be 800. This is to be cut nearly in half. A new ventilating system is to be installed. The opening is set for the day after Labor day. It will be called the Punch & Judy and will be used for both talkies and silent pictures. Avery J. Bernstein of Robert White & Co. was broker.

Chicago Tribune, March 29, 1935
By Edward Moore.
There is considerable of a thrill in attending the Sonotone theater, formerly the Punch & Judy, these days, especially if the patron happens to be hard of hearing, for the little picture house on Van Buren street between Wabash and Michigan avenues, newly reopened, is newly equipped for the benefit of those whose hearing is not what it should be.

It is said that the device is new, that this is the first theater in the world to be so equipped, and that it is the start of a movement that will spread over the United States. Every seat is fitted so the device can be plugged in then and there, and so the patron can sit any place he pleases and in numbers up to the capacity of the house. All that is necessary is to ask for the device on entering the theater. It is furnished immediately and without charge. Of course those of normal hearing may come, too. They do not need it.

As a matter of fact, there are two devices. One is the earphone for those capable of using earphones, This idea is not entirely new. They exist in other theaters. Five of the Balaban & Katz houses, the United Artists in the loop, the Granada and North Shore, north; the Tivoli, south, and the State west, also the Teatro del Lago in No Man’s Land near Wilmette are so equipped. In the Balaban & Katz houses twenty seats are set aside in the rear, where earphones may be plugged in upon request. The requests average fifteen a performance.

But not all the deaf are able to use earphones. They are the ones for whom the telephone is useless. For them the Sonotone has another kind of mechanism, to say nothing of the fact that patrons are not confined to the rear of the house. This is known as the Lieber oscillator, named after Dr. Hugo Lieber of New York, a noted pioneer in work for the deaf.

In appearance it is simple enough-merely a little metal polyhedron about the size and shape of two dominoes back to back, and with a slender wire running to the plug at the side of the seat. Touch one side of it with the finger and you feel a faint vibration. Press it against a bone of the face or head and you begin to hear literally without ears.

Any place where the bone is close to the surface will do: the bone back of the ear, the forehead, the bridge of the nose, a front tooth. E. J. Stutz, the manager of the theater, says that deaf persons find their own favorite spots, depending somewhat on the conformation of the skull, and after experimenting prefer to find them.

The oscillator may be attached to a lorgnette handle for ease in holding. and a tiny rheostat on the connecting cord regulates volume of sound in proportion to the user’s deafness.

You literally hear through your bones, I know, because I stopped my own ears as completely as possible and got Mr. Stutz to try it out on various spots on my head. The effect was amazing. It was nothing short of a revelation. Not only the words of the dialog from the film were perfectly audible and understandable, but the incidental music came across as clearly, with the same variety of tone color and contrast as when I was using my ears. And for purposes of the test we were sitting as far back in the balcony as we were able.

Mr. Stutz told of an interesting and rather touching experiment that had been made a few days before. A little girl about 6 years old had been brought in from a school for the deaf. She was congenitally deaf. Since her birth the world of sound had been closed to her. She was being taught to talk a little, but so far the results had not been clear and were in the strained tone common to such unfortunates.

Without telling her what they wanted to do, they got her into the theater and let her watch. the picture for a time, until she got quieted down and used to her surroundings. Then. slowly and gently, Mr. Stutz touched the oscillator to her head. It was the first time she ever knew the meaning of sound.

He said she almost leaped out of her seat with excitement. Her eyes blazed and she began to chatter at top speed. For four solid hours she sat there playing with the oscillator, and no inducement could get her to leave. Something new had come into her life.

It is probably too soon to be able to tell just what sound meant to her. Without doubt several trials will have to be made before she begins to connect sound with the other phenomena of life. For the present, sound was enough for her. Mr. Stutz said that for at least three of her four hours’ stay she refused to pay any attention to the picture at all. It was during the last hour that she began to look at the picture and use the oscillator.

This is only one of a number of similar cases. Every once in a while the whole theater is filled with an invited audience of the deaf. It is not entirely for purposes of the films, either. The stage is equipped with a radio microphone as well which can be used for lectures, for musical recitals, for anything in which sound is the important element.

It is estimated that 30,000 Chicagoans are hard of hearing. There are something like 15,000,000 so aflicted in America. These figures are more eloquent than any comment that can be made upon them as to what a device like the Lieber oscillator is going to mean to theater goers.

Chicago Tribune, June 18, 1940

Movie Closeup
On and after July 1 the Sonotone theater on Van Buren between Michigan and Wabash avenues will be known as the Studio theater. Herb Elisburg, its sponsor, plans to make the Studid “one of the most exclusive little theaters in the country.” First run pictures will be shown and admission prices will be 35 cents till 2 p. m., 55 cents till 6 p. m., and 75 cents from 6 p.m. till closing.

Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1950

The “Ziegfeld Girl” of yesteryear made the name Flo Ziegfeld famous, and the women’s committee of the Friends of the Chicago Musical college intends to do much the same for the late producer’s father, Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld. Committee members donned some of their smartest outfits for a recent luncheon meeting of the group which will sponsor the opening night, Nov. 20, of Chicago’s new Ziegfeld theater. The theater, located in the college building at 64 E. Van Buren st., is named in honor of Dr. Ziegfeld, founder of the college. Wearing a dark brown suit with beige lapels and cuffs and highlighting her outfit with a chunky ruby red pin at her throat with matching earrings, was Mrs. William E. Vogelback, chairman of the committee.

Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1950

Plans for the formal opening of the new Ziegfeld theater, formerly the Studio, have been changed. Instead of “State Secret” starring Douglas Fairbanks, the house will open on Nov. 20 with “Trio,” a British film made up of three short stories from the pen of Somerset Maugham, who makes a personal appearance in the movie, just as he did in its forerunner, the popular “Quartet.” Jean Simmons, James Hayter and Nigel Patrick star in the three episodes.

Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1958

Tom Dowd, former manager of the Ziegfeld theater, now is the owner; and he’ll change the name to the Capri as of Wednesday. First flicker: “Nana,” the Matine Carol starrer, just OK’d by the censors after a long battle.

Chicago Tribune, March 22, 1970

Wanted: Practice Space for Combo with Drums
The destruction of the office building at 64 E. Van Buren st., which recently began, highlights the need for office space for musical studios and enterprises in Chicago.

The residents of the building, the former home of the Chicago Musical college, recently attested to the difficulty of finding office space for music ventures in Chicago.

Most of the residents said that managers of Chicago office buildings were generally unwilling to accept them as clients because of the noise they created.

Music Studios Relocate
Most of the former tenants have relocated in two of the remaining buildings catering to music studios in Chicago: the 22 E. Van Buren st. building and the Fine Arts building. 410 S. Michigan at.

Some of the studios have had tn disband, however. The proprietor of one of these, Woodrow Bentley of the Bentley studio, said he closed because he couldn’t afford the rents in other buildings. “It is difficult to find space for music. I tried several other buildings but they were too expensive.” he said.

One of the organizations which moved to the Fine Arts building was the Chicago Conservatory college. The college’s director of admissions. Mrs. Jean Howard. said: “We had a dreadful time trying to locate space.”

Need Music Center
“They won’t allow a music college to rent space in most office buildings, understandably, because of the disturbance. What we need is a civic music center like there is in New York.

The former tenants included two religious groups: the Theosophical society: the Circle Evangelical Free church; the Chicago Chess club; the Capri theater, a girlie movie house: and a number of music studios in addition to the college.

The building, one of the oldest remaining in the Loop. was constructed in 1896 and was originally named Steinway hall. It was designed by architect Dwight H. Perkins, who also planned Carl Schurz high school.

Stays Fifty Years
The building became the home of the Chicago Musical college early in this century and the college remained there until 1954 when it merged with Roosevelt university.

The theater, which later became the Capri, was called the Ziegfield during the college’s tenure in the building. It was named for Dr. Florenz Ziegfield Sr., who founded the college in 1867.

Steinway Hall

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