History

In 1909, several Chicago families founded the Chicago Grand Opera, a fledgling opera company that held performances at various venues throughout the city, such as the Auditorium Theater. With no theater or production facility to call their own, and struggling to manage overwhelming expenses, the Chicago Grand Opera (later the Chicago Civic Opera Company) decided to consolidate all aspects of set, costume and stage construction/storage into one facility. They chose to purchase and convert an existing warehouse located at 26th & Dearborn Streets in Chicago. The new facility would become the Civic Opera Warehouse.

Harry W. Beatty, the Civic Opera’s Technical Director, designed the configuration of the new facility, which was also to be used to do work for other theaters in need of new productions. Architects Graham, Anderson, Probst and White were hired by the newly-named Chicago Civic Opera to do the alterations. Founded in 1912 as a successor firm to D.H. Burnham & Co., they were the largest architectural firm in existence during the first half of the 20th century. Their early involvement with the alterations to the Civic Opera Warehouse led to the 1929 commission to design the Civic Opera House, the second largest opera auditorium in North America. This firm went on to receive commissions to design some of the most important buildings in Chicago’s history, including the Wrigley Building, Merchandise Mart and the Field Museum.

The warehouse was designed to accommodate all sizes of stage equipment while also providing the infrastructure to build new sets and scenery on the giant scale required by the Opera. All aspects of stages, stage scenery, backdrops, costumes and props were designed, constructed, painted and detailed on site. Costumes were handmade, steam-cleaned and stored on racks or in large wooden cases. The ultimate design allowed for the necessary construction and storage of 100 complete operas.

Among the unique areas of the warehouse was the “scenic studio,” which accommodated the simultaneous painting of several huge stage backdrops in an enormous interior chamber. A special cable system and long slots in the floor enabled multiple artists to adjust the height of the canvass, allowing them to reach the entire surface from where they stood.

A review of the typical working force of the opera company showed an average of about 500 employees. In addition to the singers, this included 21 electricians, 20 wardrobe workers, four armorers, eight carpenters and 20 people handling properties. Ten artists made new scenes and refurbished the old ones. There were 32 employees working in the opera warehouse during any given 24-hour period. At the end of each opera season, the staff would take detailed inventory and make repairs; and everything would be stored until its use for the next season. This created an energetic and lively feel as a virtual engine room that would create and maintain the splendor of the opera.

In the 1950’s, the north portion of the building was demolished to make way for the construction of the Stevenson Expressway, yet the building’s mission continued unobstructed.

Over the years, many theater companies used the facility as well, including the Chicago Operetta, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, St. Louis Opera and Paris Lyrique.

As the design center for countless performances, the opera warehouse will forever be a critical component of the Lyric Opera’s modern success in Chicago, as well as a part of opera history worldwide.