Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote that Sosman & Landis delivered, “A new interior for the Olympic Theatre.” This meant that they designed and installed a new painted interior set (box set) for the stage at the Olympic Theatre. An interior set included a series of interchangeable flats that could be lashed together to form a box set. I transported an interior set to the Matthews Opera House (Spearfish, South Dakota) that was manufactured by the Twin City Scenic Co. around that time and set it up. Cleats and cords lashed the various flats together, and we rapidly assembled the set in a manner of minutes. Previously, I had set up a series of vintage interior sets at the Czech-Slovak hall (C.S.P.S. building) that was similar in construction for documentation. In both instances, I was amazed at how quickly a box set could be assembled and torn down. What an ingenious system.
In regard to the theater where Sosman & Landis delivered the interior set, Chicago’s Olympic Theatre was located on Clark and Randolph streets. At the time, Sam Lederer managed the venue, featuring Klaw & Erlanger productions. The ground-floor theater, illuminated by electricity, had a seating capacity was 1,584. The proscenium opening measured 37 feet wide by 24 ¾ feet. The stage was 26 ¾ feet deep with a back stage width of 71 feet. The height to the rigging loft was 53 ¾ feet and the height to the fly gallery 25 feet. The under stage area was 8 feet deep. A pretty standard space for the time.
Like many entertainment venues in Chicago, the Olympic Theatre has a very complex history. Originally named the New Chicago Theatre in 1873 by James H. McVicker, it was built on the previous site of Kingsbury Hall, a building that had been destroyed during the great fire of 1871. This venue enjoyed a series of names changes between 1873 to 1893, switching from the New Chicago, to Grand Opera House, Cristy’s Opera House and the Music Hall. An extensive remodel of the space then resulted in the newly named Olympic Theatre. However, in 1907, a fire caused extensive damage to the building, resulting in the rebuilding of the space. When Sosman & Landis delivered the interior set, it would have been an extension of their stock scenery collection.
The Olympic Theatre name did not last, however, and soon became Schubert’s Apollo Theatre. This name change was after the 1921 Apollo Theatre at Dearborn and Randolph Streets was converted into the United Artists movie house in 1927.
It is the repetition of theater names across the country that makes tracking down the history of some venues so very difficult. I of ten feel like a detective, verifying all of the specifics before including any specific details.
The Olympic Theatre/Schubert’s Apollo Theatre building was eventually closed and razed in 1953 for a Greyhound bus terminal. Unfortunately, even the bus station did not last and was replaced with the Chicago Title & Trust building in 1992.
To be continued…
