Part 555: Streets of Paris at the Chicago Coliseum, 1906
In 1906, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I had a big job in getting the Streets of Paris ready to open, December 5th, for ten days.”
“Streets of Paris” was a charity event in Chicago established to aid the Passavant Memorial Hospital. In 1906, it ran from Dec. 5 – 7, open daily from 2pm to11pm. Admission for adults was $1.00 for children were 50 cents. This was slightly expensive price, as White City Amusement part admittance was only ten cents. This event, however, was produced by high society in Chicago and intended for high society in Chicago. It catered to the tastes of the wealthy.
Advertisements reported, “Spectacular Christmas Bazaar and Reproduction of the Champs Elysees and the Rue de la Paix” (Chicago Tribune 8 Dec. 1906, page 16). The boulevards, cafes and shops of Paris were reproduced, including the famous Moulin Rouge.
Gross receipts after the event were reported as $63,870, with a potential profit of $40,000 going for hospital aid (Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec, 1906, page 9). Of the event, Moses noted that the project brought in $8,750.00 for Sosman & Landis, writing it was “some show” and “a big success in every way.”
Streets of Paris was held at the third coliseum built in Chicago, each stood successively from the 1860s to the 1980s. Built in 1899, the third Chicago Coliseum hosted the “Streets of Paris.“ It was located at 15th Street and Wabash Avenue. The complex was built by Charles F. Gunther 1837-1920), a German-American confectioner and collector. His background is quite interesting. Moving from Württemberg Germany to Pennsylvania in 1842 at the age of six, his family eventually settled in in Peru, Illinois. Gunther was an ice distributor until the Civil War broke out. He pledged supported the Confederacy, helping transfer troops during the Civil War. He was captured by Union troops in 1862. Returning to Chicago after the war, Gunther was a traveling salesman for a candy manufacturer, selling goods to the southern states. By 1868, he had started his own candy company, learning his trade from European candy makers and specializing in caramel. He soon amassed a fortune after catering to a very wealthy clientele.
Gunther was also a collector of historical artifacts, many now owned by the Chicago History Museum purchased the bulk of his collection in 1920 for $150,000. The collection included the table on which Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union at the Appomattox Court House. Gunther had even purchased Abraham Lincoln’s deathbed. As with many museums of the time, not all artifacts were authentic; he claimed to own the “skin of the serpent” from the Garden of Eden.
By 1889, Gunther purchased Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, built during the Civil War as a Confederate prison. The structure was dismantled, shipped to Chicago on 132 railroad cars, and rebuilt as the Libby Prison War Museum. This was where Gunther displayed Civil War memorabilia and other historical artifacts. By 1898, incoming profits form the museum were declining, and Gunther took advantage of another situation; fire destroyed the second coliseum. Gunther dismantled the Libby Prison Museum and used the building materials for part of the new Chicago Coliseum. A section of the Chicago Coliseum still remained identifiable as Libby Prison.
The Chicago Coliseum was an enormous venue. The main hall had a capacity for 12,000 people, with the North Hall seating about 4000. The south section of the building included offices and other smaller exhibition halls. Over the decades, the venue hosted many social, political, and charitable events, as well as trade shows, sport shows and circuses. Staged entertainment included musical concerts and high-class vaudeville. The notorious political fundraiser for the two First Ward alderman, the First Ward Ball, was also held in the coliseum. Other events included several Republican National conventions and Progressive Party National Conventions. From 1901 through 1934, the Coliseum was the continuous home to one of the nation’s earliest and most prestigious auto shows. Sosman & Landis provided scenery for many of these events, especially the annual auto shows.
In 1971, the Chicago Coliseum was primarily a general-admission venue for rock concerts. That spring the city shut the building due to fire code violations, and it fell into disuse until it 1982 when it was demolished. Part of the Libby facade was salvaged and given to the Chicago History Museum. The coliseum site is now occupied by the Soka Gakkai USA Culture Center.
To be continued…
