Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre rises from the corner of Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue as a massive, fortress-like block of granite. When it opened in eighteen eighty-nine, it was the tallest building in the city. Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan designed the interior with a series of golden, concentric arches that ripple outward from the stage. During the opening night, President Benjamin Harrison sat in a box while a young girl named Adelina Patti sang, testing the acoustics that still carry a whisper perfectly today.