Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
A corner of the Loop.
An introduction to the corner of State and Lake Streets, where an 1872 cast-iron building stands beside one of Chicago’s best-known theatres.
On this page
A cast-iron survivor
Iron fronts were common in Chicago before the fire of 1871, and many melted in its heat. The Page Brothers Building, rebuilt in 1872, keeps the city’s last remaining cast-iron front, on Lake Street.
A guide can give context without turning a neighbourhood into a backdrop. Notice how the State Street front, remodelled in 1902, differs from the older iron front around the corner.
The theatre next door
Next door, the Chicago Theatre opened on 26 October 1921. Its marquee has been called an unofficial emblem of the city.
Begin with a detail and ask how it was designed, built and maintained. A photograph alone cannot tell you who cast an iron column or the conditions in which they worked.
A museum chapter
The museum adds a new use to an old building: a place to learn about a difficult part of history in the middle of the Loop.
Look at the meeting of the two: a building that survived the city’s rebuilding, and a museum about a much older past.
Make room for context
Pair this reading with the museum’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places or represents the museum.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
